The use of excessive force by Police officers in the line of duty.

At the core of the traditional role of the police in our society is the ability and need to exercise coercion in performing some of their functions. With some unknown frequency and severity, law enforcement officers use various forms of verbal and physical coercion in performing their everyday functions of enforcing the law and maintaining order. How and when the police use and do not use physical force influence the immediate accomplishment of police functions. …

…arrest. Defensive force is physical battery with hands, fists, or defensive equipment to overcome violent resistance or to protect self or others from assault or injury. The advantage of these expanded definitions is that they are more specific about what constitutes lethal and LTL force. Several departments recognize that lethal force can occur with vehicles and LTL weapons, and their policies expand their definitions to make clear that lethal force goes beyond use of firearms.