5-304 THREATENING THE
USE OF FORCE AND DE-ESCALATION (10/16/02) (06/01/12) (07/28/16)
(A-D)
A. Threatening
the Use of Force
As an alternative and/or the
precursor to the actual use of force, MPD officers shall consider verbally
announcing their intent to use force, including displaying an authorized weapon
as a threat of force, when reasonable under the circumstances. The threatened
use of force shall only occur in situations that an officer reasonably believes
may result in the authorized use of force. This policy shall not be construed
to authorize unnecessarily harsh language. (08/17/07) (07/28/16)
B.
De-escalation
Whenever
reasonable according to MPD policies and training, officers shall use
de-escalation tactics to gain voluntary compliance and seek to avoid or
minimize use of physical force. (06/01/12) (07/28/16)
1.
When safe and feasible,
officers shall:
a.
Attempt to slow down or
stabilize the situation so that more time, options and resources are available.
i.
Mitigating the immediacy of
threat gives officers more time to call additional officers or specialty units
and to use other resources.
ii.
The number of officers on
scene may make more force options available and may help reduce overall force
used.
b.
Consider whether a subject’s
lack of compliance is a deliberate attempt to resist or an inability to comply
based on factors including, but not limited to:
·
Medical conditions
·
Mental impairment
·
Developmental disability
·
Physical limitation
·
Language barrier
·
Influence of drug or alcohol
use
·
Behavioral crisis
Such
consideration, when time and circumstances reasonably permit, shall then be
balanced against incident facts when deciding which tactical options are the
most appropriate to resolve the situation safely.
2.
De-escalation tactics
include, but are not limited to:
·
Placing barriers between an
uncooperative subject and an officer.
·
Containing a threat.
·
Moving from a position that
exposes officers to potential threats to a safer position.
·
Reducing exposure to a
potential threat using distance, cover or concealment.
·
Communication from a safe
position intended to gain the subject’s compliance, using verbal persuasion,
advisements or warnings.
·
Avoidance of physical
confrontation, unless immediately necessary (e.g. to protect someone or stop dangerous
behavior).
·
Using verbal techniques to
calm an agitated subject and promote rational decision making.
·
Calling additional resources
to assist, including more officers, CIT officers and officers equipped with
less-lethal tools.
Definitions
Refer to the Commonly Used Terms page for general definitions.