Lakewood Police Department Policy and Procedure Use of Force-General Policy		Effective Date:  06/23/2022
	Policy Number: PP-4500 - Use of Force-General Policy

A. Policy

There are varying degrees of force that may be justified depending on the dynamics of a situation.  In each individual event, lawful and proper force shall be restricted to only that force which is objectively reasonable to control and terminate unlawful resistance, to preclude any further physical attack against the police agents or any other persons, or to prevent the escape of a person in custody.  Agents shall apply nonviolent means, when possible, before resorting to the use of physical force and shall use only a degree of force consistent with the minimization of injury to others.  Agents may use physical force only if nonviolent means would be ineffective in effecting an arrest, preventing an escape, or preventing an imminent threat of bodily injury to the agent or another person.  Appropriate medical assistance shall be rendered following the use of physical force, deadly weapons, or less-lethal weapons as soon as practicable.  The department shall ensure that any identified relatives or next of kin of persons who have sustained serious bodily injury or death are notified as soon as practicable. 

Definitions

1. Deadly force:  Any use of force that creates a substantial risk of causing death or which does, in fact, produce death.

2. Objectively reasonable:  This term means that, in determining the necessity for force and the appropriate level of force, police agents should evaluate each situation in light of the facts and circumstances confronting them, including, but not limited to, the severity of the crime at issue, whether the subject poses an immediate threat to the safety of the police agents or others, and whether the subject is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight.

3. Physical force:  The application of physical techniques or tactics, chemical agents, or weapons to another person.   

1. Duty to intervene.  A police agent, who is on duty, shall intervene to prevent or stop another peace officer from using physical force that exceeds the physical force permitted by law pursuant to C.R.S. § 18-1-707.  An agent who intervenes to prevent the unreasonable force shall promptly report the intervention to a sworn supervisor.  Subsequent written notification shall be made within ten days of the occurrence and include the date, time, place of occurrence, the identity, if known, and a description of the participants, and a description of the events and the intervention.  This report shall be attached to all other reports of the incident.  

2. Duty to report.  A police agent who, while acting in pursuance of his/her law enforcement duties, witnesses another peace officer, while acting in pursuance of his/her law enforcement duties, using force in excess of that permitted by law pursuant to C.R.S. § 18-1-107 must promptly report such use of force to a sworn supervisor.  Subsequent written notification shall be made within ten days of the occurrence and include the date, time, place of occurrence, the identity, if known, and a description of the participants, and a description of the events and the force used in compliance with C.R.S. § 18-8-802 (1)(b).

3. Required Equipment.  In order to provide police agents/sergeants options when they are justified in using physical force, while acting in pursuance of his/her law enforcement duties, sworn personnel assigned to the Patrol Division at the rank of agent/sergeant, to include those working extra duty assignments, are  required to carry one of the following less-lethal weapons on their duty belt; baton, expandable baton, OC spray or Taser.