Police Officer: BELT (Basic Entry Level Test) |50 Q’s and
a’s (Entry level knowledge of a police officer)
What court cases does the bulk of the VA Police Service's policy on use of force originate
from? - -Graham v Connor 490 U.S. 386 (1989): Use of non-deadly use of force; and
Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1 (1985): Use of deadly force.
-What are the 3 types of force recognized by the courts? - -Non-Deadly
Deadly
Excessive
-Definition of Non-Deadly Force - -Any force that is not likely to cause death or serious
physical injury
-Definition of Serious Physical Injury - -Bodily injury that creates a substantial risk of
death; causes serious, permanent disfigurement; or results in long-term loss or impairment
of the functioning of any bodily member or organ.
-Definition of Deadly Force - -Any force that is likely to cause death or serious physical
injury
-Definition of Excessive Force - -Amount of force which is BEYOND the NEED and
CIRCUMSTANCES of the particular event or which is NOT JUSTIFIED.
-Excessive Force may be the result of what 3 things? - -Accident
Honest mistake
Misconduct
-Why is the lawful force by a police officer restricted? - -To protect the citizens' civil
liberties we are mandated to protect.
-What are the four times an officer is justified in using force? - -1. To stop potentially
dangerous and unlawful behavior.
2. To protect the officer or another from injury or death.
3. To protect offenders from injuring themselves.
4. To affect a lawful arrest when an offender offers resistance.
-When are officers permitted to use an objectively reasonable amount of force - -In all
circumstances
-Definition of Reasonable Force - -Degree of force which is not excessive and is
appropriate in protecting oneself or one's property.
, -When such force is used, a person is justified and is not criminally liable, nor is he liable in
tort; is known as what? - -Reasonable Force
-What are the factors that generally determine objectively reasonable use of force? - -
Severity of the crime at issue
The suspect's imminent threat to the safety of officers or others
The suspect's active resistance or attempt to evade arrest by flight.
-Who delivered the opinion in the court case Graham v Connor? - -Chief Justice Rehnquist
-What decision did Chief Justice Rehnquist deliver in Graham v Connor? (Part 1) - -"The
Fourth Amendment "reasonableness" inquiry is whether the officer's actions are
"objectively reasonable" in light of the facts and circumstances confronting them, without
regard to their underlying intent or motivation."
-What decision did Chief Justice Rehnquist deliver in Graham v Connor? (Part 2) - -The
"reasonableness of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a
reasonable officer on the scene, and its calculus must embody an allowance for the fact that
police officers are often forced to make spit-second decisions about the amount of force
necessary in a particular situation."
-Each VA Police Officer is responsible for applying what? - -ONLY the minimal level of
force that is reasonable necessary to control a given situation.
-Definition of Minimal Force - -Level of force least likely to cause injury that a reasonable
police officer would deem necessary to bring a violent, hostile, or other situation under
control.
-What does the judicial system measure? - -The justification for the use of force
-What 2 broad standards does the judicial system use measure the justification of use? - -
1. Was the officer's use of control methods initiated by the subject's resistance?
2. Was the officer's level of physical force necessary and not excessive when considering
the type of resistance offered by the subject?
-A third standard used to measure the justification of use of force examines what? - -The
extent and/or severity of injuries sustained by the offender and the police officer.
-Fill in the blanks:
Officers will not use _________ _________ to detain or arrest a person ___________ it is _________ by
the ________ of the offender. - -Physical force; unless; justified; actions
-What is force continuum? - -A scale of force (from Level 1 to Level 5 force) used by police
officers to determine how best to react to a situation. Its function is to organize a
structured and justified response to a given, often complicated response.
a’s (Entry level knowledge of a police officer)
What court cases does the bulk of the VA Police Service's policy on use of force originate
from? - -Graham v Connor 490 U.S. 386 (1989): Use of non-deadly use of force; and
Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1 (1985): Use of deadly force.
-What are the 3 types of force recognized by the courts? - -Non-Deadly
Deadly
Excessive
-Definition of Non-Deadly Force - -Any force that is not likely to cause death or serious
physical injury
-Definition of Serious Physical Injury - -Bodily injury that creates a substantial risk of
death; causes serious, permanent disfigurement; or results in long-term loss or impairment
of the functioning of any bodily member or organ.
-Definition of Deadly Force - -Any force that is likely to cause death or serious physical
injury
-Definition of Excessive Force - -Amount of force which is BEYOND the NEED and
CIRCUMSTANCES of the particular event or which is NOT JUSTIFIED.
-Excessive Force may be the result of what 3 things? - -Accident
Honest mistake
Misconduct
-Why is the lawful force by a police officer restricted? - -To protect the citizens' civil
liberties we are mandated to protect.
-What are the four times an officer is justified in using force? - -1. To stop potentially
dangerous and unlawful behavior.
2. To protect the officer or another from injury or death.
3. To protect offenders from injuring themselves.
4. To affect a lawful arrest when an offender offers resistance.
-When are officers permitted to use an objectively reasonable amount of force - -In all
circumstances
-Definition of Reasonable Force - -Degree of force which is not excessive and is
appropriate in protecting oneself or one's property.
, -When such force is used, a person is justified and is not criminally liable, nor is he liable in
tort; is known as what? - -Reasonable Force
-What are the factors that generally determine objectively reasonable use of force? - -
Severity of the crime at issue
The suspect's imminent threat to the safety of officers or others
The suspect's active resistance or attempt to evade arrest by flight.
-Who delivered the opinion in the court case Graham v Connor? - -Chief Justice Rehnquist
-What decision did Chief Justice Rehnquist deliver in Graham v Connor? (Part 1) - -"The
Fourth Amendment "reasonableness" inquiry is whether the officer's actions are
"objectively reasonable" in light of the facts and circumstances confronting them, without
regard to their underlying intent or motivation."
-What decision did Chief Justice Rehnquist deliver in Graham v Connor? (Part 2) - -The
"reasonableness of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a
reasonable officer on the scene, and its calculus must embody an allowance for the fact that
police officers are often forced to make spit-second decisions about the amount of force
necessary in a particular situation."
-Each VA Police Officer is responsible for applying what? - -ONLY the minimal level of
force that is reasonable necessary to control a given situation.
-Definition of Minimal Force - -Level of force least likely to cause injury that a reasonable
police officer would deem necessary to bring a violent, hostile, or other situation under
control.
-What does the judicial system measure? - -The justification for the use of force
-What 2 broad standards does the judicial system use measure the justification of use? - -
1. Was the officer's use of control methods initiated by the subject's resistance?
2. Was the officer's level of physical force necessary and not excessive when considering
the type of resistance offered by the subject?
-A third standard used to measure the justification of use of force examines what? - -The
extent and/or severity of injuries sustained by the offender and the police officer.
-Fill in the blanks:
Officers will not use _________ _________ to detain or arrest a person ___________ it is _________ by
the ________ of the offender. - -Physical force; unless; justified; actions
-What is force continuum? - -A scale of force (from Level 1 to Level 5 force) used by police
officers to determine how best to react to a situation. Its function is to organize a
structured and justified response to a given, often complicated response.
