MCOLES Use of Force Principles 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes 'de-escalation' in the context of law enforcement use of force?
- Using the minimum amount of force required in every situation
- Tactics and communication strategies used to reduce the likelihood that force will be needed (Correct answer)
- Retreating from any situation where force might be required
- Requesting a mental health professional respond to all calls
Correct answer: Tactics and communication strategies used to reduce the likelihood that force will be needed
De-escalation involves techniques—verbal, tactical, and environmental—that reduce tension and the need for physical force.
Question 2: An officer observes a subject who is mentally ill, standing in a parking lot holding a butter knife and talking incoherently. The subject is not advancing. The BEST initial approach is:
- Immediately deploy a Taser to gain control before the situation escalates
- Use verbal de-escalation, create distance, and request crisis intervention resources (Correct answer)
- Draw and point a firearm to demonstrate the seriousness of the situation
- Request dispatch send animal control since the subject is acting erratically
Correct answer: Use verbal de-escalation, create distance, and request crisis intervention resources
A non-advancing mentally ill subject with a low-lethality object warrants de-escalation, distance, and crisis intervention, not immediate force.
Question 3: What does 'proportionality' mean in use-of-force decisions?
- Every officer in a department must use the same level of force in similar situations
- The force used should be appropriate to the threat level presented (Correct answer)
- Officers must match the exact type of weapon a suspect uses
- Supervisors must approve every level of force prior to application
Correct answer: The force used should be appropriate to the threat level presented
Proportionality requires that the force level correspond to the severity of the threat, not be excessive or deficient.
Question 4: An officer fires a weapon in self-defense but misses the threat and the round strikes an innocent bystander. Legally, the officer's use of deadly force will be evaluated based on:
- The outcome of the shooting, since the bystander was harmed
- Whether the decision to fire was objectively reasonable given the circumstances at the time (Correct answer)
- Whether the officer qualified at the range that year
- The bystander's subsequent recovery or death
Correct answer: Whether the decision to fire was objectively reasonable given the circumstances at the time
Reasonableness of force is judged by the decision to use force, not by the unintended outcome.
Question 5: A suspect is handcuffed and prone on the ground, no longer resisting. An officer continues to knee the subject in the back. This action would most likely be considered:
- Justified as a pain compliance technique
- Excessive force because the threat has been neutralized (Correct answer)
- Acceptable if the subject had been combative moments before
- Permitted if a supervisor verbally authorizes it
Correct answer: Excessive force because the threat has been neutralized
Force must stop when the threat stops; continuing to strike a controlled, non-resisting subject constitutes excessive force.
Question 6: Which of the following is a key principle of the 'Duty to Intervene' doctrine in Michigan law enforcement?
- Officers must intervene whenever a subject requests assistance
- Officers who witness excessive force by a colleague have an obligation to stop it (Correct answer)
- Senior officers must intervene in all use-of-force situations regardless of need
- Officers must intervene in any situation involving a weapon
Correct answer: Officers who witness excessive force by a colleague have an obligation to stop it
The duty to intervene requires officers to take reasonable steps to stop another officer's use of excessive or unlawful force.
Question 7: A baton strike to the head or neck is generally considered:
- A standard intermediate force option for routine resistance
- Potentially deadly force due to the risk of serious injury or death (Correct answer)
- Low-level force appropriate for passive resisters
- Only acceptable when the subject is armed with a firearm
Correct answer: Potentially deadly force due to the risk of serious injury or death
Strikes to the head and neck carry a high risk of lethal or serious injury and are typically classified as deadly or near-deadly force.
MCOLES Use of Force Principles 3
Which of the following best describes 'de-escalation' in the context of law enforcement use of force?