Use of Force: Legal Standards & Real-Life Applications w/ Attorney Jonathan Downes

Purpose: With continued attention to Use of Force (UOF) issues, this one-day workshop provides a
concentrated examination of UOF standards, documentation of incidents, defense of lawsuits, and
enforcement of standards of conduct as well as real-life examples of proper application of UOF.
The session will examine the current legal standards and court decisions in a practical manner for the
development and maintenance of defensible UOF policies and training as well as documentation of
incidents, and whether officers may review recordings prior to preparing reports. This includes the
application of standards of UOF when defending officers and departments as well as the enforcement of
policies with discipline. Steps necessary in defending a UOF lawsuit and presenting a UOF discipline case
are presented with case examples.

The session will explore the real-life application of legal standards and best practices, the most difficult and
important aspect of police standards of conduct. The participants will view and discuss the use of force
videos (BWC’s, dash cams, and CCTV) and understand the limitations of relying exclusively on video for
application in UOF lawsuits, arbitrations, and grievances. 

Click here for the flyer!