Use of Force Principles Flashcards

Which of the following best describes 'excited delirium' and its relevance to use of force in Michigan law enforcement?

Answer: A medical condition involving extreme agitation, superhuman strength, and high risk of sudden death that officers may encounter

Excited delirium is a recognized medical emergency marked by extreme agitation, elevated temperature, and risk of cardiac arrest, requiring prompt medical attention during or after force encounters.

After applying physical restraints to a subject who had been actively combative, an officer's ongoing responsibility includes:

Answer: Monitoring the subject's breathing and positioning to prevent positional asphyxia

Restrained subjects, particularly prone or hobble-restrained individuals, must be monitored for positional asphyxia and medical distress.

Under the Fourth Amendment, law enforcement use of force is analyzed as:

Answer: A seizure that must be objectively reasonable

The Supreme Court in Graham v. Connor held that force during arrest or investigative stops is a Fourth Amendment seizure subject to objective reasonableness.

An officer uses a Taser in 'drive-stun' mode on a fully restrained, handcuffed subject who is verbally abusive but not physically resisting. This action is most likely:

Answer: Excessive force because the subject poses no physical threat while fully restrained

Using a Taser on a fully restrained, non-physically-resistant subject for verbal behavior is disproportionate and constitutes excessive force.

The concept of 'totality of the circumstances' in use-of-force analysis means:

Answer: All facts and circumstances known to the officer at the moment of force are considered together

Totality of the circumstances requires weighing all factors simultaneously—threat level, resistance, environment, officer capability—rather than any single element.

Which of the following actions is an example of 'tactical repositioning' as a de-escalation strategy?

Answer: Moving to a position of cover that increases time and distance from a threat while maintaining awareness

Tactical repositioning uses movement to improve officer safety and buy time for de-escalation without abandoning the scene or subject.

Michigan's legal standard for an officer's use of force in making an arrest is that the force must be:

Answer: Reasonable and necessary given the totality of the circumstances

Michigan law, consistent with federal constitutional standards, requires that arrest force be reasonable and necessary under the circumstances.