Use Of Force Policy Guidelines

Overview

The Policing Project’s Use Of Force Policy Guidelines outline best practices for police department policies regarding use of force. The resource is designed to provide guidance to police departments, community members, municipal leaders, and prosecutors looking to incorporate best practices into police department policy and officer training.

The original version of this document was developed in early 2019 as part of the Policing Project’s role in the Working Group on Officer-Involved Fatalities at the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and was included in the Toolkit for Prosecutors and Communities to Address and Prevent Police-Involved Fatalities. The toolkit was the result of a year-long collaboration between family members, prosecutors, police chiefs, and law enforcement and policy experts, including the Policing Project.

The current Guidelines were updated in August 2021.

The Guidelines address the following topics:

1. Use of Force Principles, Generally

2. General Standards Governing the Use of Deadly Force

3. Firearms Specific Policies

4. Policies for Non-Firearms Uses of Force

5. Policies for Use of Canines

6. Policies Governing Officers Duties to Intervene, Report, Aid, and Provide Accurate and Truthful Information

7. Policies for Use of Force in Response to Protests and Demonstrations

8. Training