Can cops shoot you if you run?

[OddArt]

Do cops have the authority to shoot someone if they run? This question only applies to suspects with no weapons.

[HK45cal]

These new tasers we bought work real well in preventing the foot pursuit

[sparrow803]

Originally posted by HK45cal
These new tasers we bought work real well in preventing the foot pursuit

Is a taser kinda like a stun gun?

[HK45cal]

The ones we have are both, you can either stun them or place an attachment on to it and shoot prongs onto a suspect

It must not feel to good, every person I have seen tasered would climb a building to try and get away from you

screw the mace and the baton

[Stump]

Busty, it is kind of like that.. I know there are a few threads that discuss it... complete with pictures and everything!

[Jcrazy]

Are you for real?

[Jynkxxie]

I believe that the Fed's can shoot fleeing suspects, I am not sure if they have to be Felons, in the back....Been waiting for Switch to chime in on this one...

I know that here the police have the right to chase (pursuit), a fleeing Felon. And that is only in certain circumstances....I am not sure if they can shoot. Though I don't see why not...if a dangerous Felon is fleeing.

[sparrow803]

Last week in a small town near me the Chief of Police was in pursuit (vehicle then foot) shot the suspect and killed him - they still haven't released what the guy was wanted for or if he was armed - the Chief is on Admin. leave pending investigation. I guess that is the norm when there is a fatal shoot by a officer right?

[Jynkxxie]

Sometimes...not always....

Sometimes it is just for the officer to recoup you know....they did just kill someone...and sometimes nothing happens at all they just go back to work....sometimes they are on leave for the investigation but I have only rarely heard of that where I live.

I could be wrong...

[sparrow803]

Ya - we don't have many fatal shoots by officers in small town Iowa - saw the Chief on the news and he looked pretty shaken up - I felt bad for him - it's gotta be rough.

[Jynkxxie]

Well in my little poduck city...That is how the Chief became the Chief...I don't really know how I feel about the guy...I have seen him offer opportunities to his officers and I have also seen him hurt his officers...so I say whatever...My support is with the officers.

[tommygenewoolworth]

Well let me begin ........................

Application of deadly force (shooting someone) by a law enforcement officer (Local, State, Tribal, Federal) must meet the following criteria:

1- does the suspect have the ability to cause serious injury or death to someone else or you?

2- does the actor have the opportunity to use a weapon to cause serious injury or death to someone else or you.

3- does the actor intent cause you to believe someone else or youself will be seriously injuried or may die.

Use of force is serious issue where officers can be criminally charged for use of excessive force. In some cases officers have been criminally and civilally charged with failure to act.

the officer must be able to articulate the events and actions that prompted the officer to apply force.

tomahawk134

[CXT_180]

NO!
Tennesee v. Garner 471 U.S. 1 (1985)
Memphis, Tennessee, 1974. Police are looking for a burgler. They see a suspect fleeing the scene of the crime. He tries to get away, climbing over a chain-link fence. A policeman shoots the suspect who turns out to be an unarmed teenaged boy.
..."The use of deadly force is a self-defeating way of apprehending a suspect and so setting the criminal justice mechanism in motion." Justice Byron White writes: "The use of deadly force to prevent the escape of all felony suspects, whatever the circumstances, is constitutionally unreasonable. It is not better that all felony suspects die than that they escape. Where the suspect poses no immediate threat to the officer and no threat to others, the harm resulting from failing to apprehend him does not justify the use of deadly force to do so. ...It is no doubt unfortunate when a suspect who is in sight escapes, but the fact that the police arrive a little late or are a little slower afoot does not always justify killing the suspect. A police officer may not seize an unarmed, nondangerous suspect by shooting him dead."

IN other words...the only time an officer may use deadly force in apprehending a suspect is if that suspect poses an immediete risk to public safety (the lives of others)

[mcsap]

Yes we can except as posted by Tomahawk 134 and CXT-180 . That was a lot easier than all of the typing they did.

Actually, the answer is probably about 98% no and 2 % yes.

[Switchback]

It's all about whether the fleeing subject poses and IMINENT threat to the community. If you can articulate the specific threat that the subject will pose to the community if he escapes, then you are authorized to use deadly force. This can be said whether the subject has the weapon or not. Of course, having a weapon takes it up to the threshhold of using deadly force much faster.

Now, without a weapon, though you may be justified by your use of force policy, there may be serious repercussions for using such force. You had better be on really solid ground.

There are other situations that allow much more liberal application of the use of deadly force on an unarmed fleeing felon. However, they all center around fleeing detention facitilities.

Of course, the above should not be taken for legal advice. ...and comes from the federal perspective, as I am quite ignorant to specific state codes.