In 2012 Rory Miller published “Force Decisions A Citizen’s Guide: Understanding How Police Determine Appropriate Use of Force.”
I think this book is a must read for everyone especially today with all that is going on. There are other good use of force books but most of those I have seen are for the law enforcement officers (LEO.) This book is for the people who are not trained in use of force so that they can better evaluate what was done. They can then comment from a better-informed position.
Far too often today I see an almost lynch mob mentality when people see a clip of an officer using force. I am not saying every use of force is appropriate, but we need to examine the use of force with knowledge and with the facts not emotion. The facts need to be looked at and the entire encounter whenever possible. Again, too often there is just the one small segment that someone wants the public to see and not the entire encounter.
This book can provide knowledge on the use of force to citizens and allow people to make up their minds about a use of force. This book is not about changing people’s minds.
I am going to quote the introduction because Rory explains the purpose of the book far better than I could and I hope people commenting on uses of force get and read this book (available in print or ebook.)
Quote:
This book is a gift, a peace offering. It is an attempt to communicate across a vast gulf in culture and experience, the gulf that exists between Law Enforcement community and those whom they protect.
Each day, media outlets all over the country describe events where officers use force. Often the reporters and the citizens question the need for force at all or whether the type and amount of force used was really necessary. Citizens worry that their protectors – with badges, guns, clubs and Tasers – are caught up in the rush of power, or perhaps giving vent to anger or bigotry.
The officers are frustrated too. Specialist in dealing with a world this is sometimes very dark and very violent, they feel scrutinized. They feel as if their actions are constantly under a microscope, judged by a populace without any experience or training in a vey specialized field.
In this book, I want to show how officers think about force, not only how we are trained to think of it, but also how experience shapes our beliefs and attitudes.
If you are one of the people who believe officers are thugs and question each and every use of force, I don’t want to change you. Let me say that again; I don’t want to change you. Sometimes my job requires me to use force on behalf of society, on your behalf. That force should be subject to your scrutiny.
What I do want, if you have objections, is to have those objections based on facts not emotions. Most people will have a negative reaction to any violence, and some problems (from child-raising to the boardroom to politics and medicine and …) simply don’t have an answer that makes everyone comfortable.
You know what you saw or read. You know how that made you feel. The final data that you need to back up your reasonable objections are knowledge of the rules – to understand thoroughly the legal and policy limits as well as the tactical considerations that the professionals understand.
There are truths and perceptions that frame this gulf. First, the perceptions: We have all been taught that peace is an ideal, and that hurting people is wrong. We have been taught, in an egalitarian society, that what is wrong for one is wrong for all. And what is wrong to do to someone is wrong to do to anyone.
The truth, however, is harsh. It is this: The only defence against evil, violent people is good people who are more skilled at violence. Rory Miller.
End Quote
The Amazon page gives a nice brief look at what is in the book, but I think the introduction I quoted gives the best idea about what will be found in this great book. But to save you going and looking here is a little of what is in this useful book: the goals, threat levels, levels of force, factors and circumstances checks and balances, skills taught, experience and much much more.
I highly recommend it and if you get into a use of force discussions perhaps you can recommend this to others as well.
I also want to add an honourable mention, but this book is for law enforcement when they have to use their guns. I mention it because it could give the citizens a look into what LEO’s deal with when they have to use their weapons and the aftermath as well: “Deadly Force Encounters: What Cops Need to Know to Mentally and Physically Prepare for and Survive a Gunfight” by Dr. Alexis Artwohl and Loren W. Christensen.