The Deadly Force Script : How the Police in America Defend the use of Excessive Force / William Harmening.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harmening, William M., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Police--United States--Digests.

Police.

Police shootings--United States--Digests.

Police shootings.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (192 pages)

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Illinois : ABA Publishing, American Bar Association, [2021]

Summary:

How many times have you read a news story about someone being shot by the police while reaching for their waistband? Or about an officer who testified at trial that the person he shot during a physical struggle had superhuman strength or a thousand-yard stare in his eyes? And how many times have you watched a police chief or sheriff during a press conference invoke the "21-foot rule" to justify their officer's killing of a mentally ill person with a knife? These and a host of other verbal devices are what author William Harmening calls the "deadly force script." It is a strategy that has been employed with great success by the law enforcement community in the decades following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Tennessee v. Garner (1985), the case that for the first time placed significant restrictions on a police officer's use of deadly force. It is a strategy that has gone relatively unnoticed by the general public, the media, elected prosecutors, and the judges and juries who must rule on the reasonableness of an officer's actions. Now, perhaps for the very first time, William Harmening pulls back the veil to expose the deadly force script for all to see. He does this in a unique and informative way by presenting actual case studies where the script was employed following a deadly police encounter, typically right under the unsuspecting noses of local media and the prosecutor tasked with deciding whether to criminally charge the officers involved. Anyone with an interest in the twin ideals of an equitable system of justice and a professional and bias-free police force will find this book both fascinating and enlightening.

Contents:

Intro

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1: A State of Mind

Chapter 2: The Case of Kajieme Powell: St. Louis, Missouri

Chapter 3: The Case of Cedrick Chatman: Chicago, Illinois

Chapter 4: The Deadly Force Theater

Chapter 5: The Case of Dontre Hamilton: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Chapter 6: The Case of Michael Brown: Ferguson, Missouri

Chapter 7: The Case of John Deming Jr.: Pleasanton, California

Chapter 8: The Case of Anthony Soderberg: Los Angeles, California

Chapter 9: The Case of Michael Dial: White County, Tennessee

Chapter 10: The Case of Nicholas Dyksma: Columbus, Georgia

Chapter 11: The Case of Isaiah Murrietta: Fresno, California

Chapter 12: The Case of Drew Edwards: Maquoketa, Iowa

Chapter 13: The Case of Jorge Ramirez: Bakersfield, California

Chapter 14: The Case of Tommy Le: Seattle, Washington

Chapter 15: The Case of Bryan Carreño: Santa Barbara, California

Chapter 16: The Case of John Cruz Jr.: Edgewater, Colorado

Chapter 17: The Case of George Floyd: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Index

Back Cover.

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Harmening, William The Deadly Force Script

ISBN:

1-63905-005-1