Police Use
of Force
Safer communities through
sound policies
Community Members
As a member of your community, you play an important role in holding your local law enforcement agencies accountable to their mission. Understanding what is in your local agency’s policies and why is the first step in this process. Many community members assume the federal or state government creates policy for law enforcement agencies; in fact, agencies are left on their own to interpret legislation and case law, write policies and keep up with changing laws, regulations and court decisions. Nearly half of law enforcement agencies in the U.S. employ 10 or fewer full-time officers. Policy development and maintenance is simply not something most agencies have resources to do effectively.
Lexipol helps fill the gap by developing comprehensive, state-specific policies and keeping them up to date for our customers. With more than 2,075 years of combined public safety experience, Lexipol’s policy developers and attorneys employ a rigorous yet collaborative development and review process to ensure diverse perspectives—internal and external to our company—are considered. Finally, recognizing that each agency must own its policy, we encourage our customers to thoroughly review and customize our policies as needed to account for community needs and agency-specific factors.
Click on one of the policy areas below to obtain more information about Lexipol’s policy positions.
Carotid Restraint
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
Exhausting All Alternatives before Deadly Force
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
Duty to Intervene
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
Use of Force Continuum
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
Use of Force Trend Analysis
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
Providing Medical Aid
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
De-Escalation
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
Warning Before Deadly Force
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
Shooting at Moving Vehicles
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
Comprehensive Reporting
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
The Role of Supervisors
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
Red-Flag Warnings (Performance History)
Medical evidence supports the carotid control hold as safer compared to other
For links to articles, webinars and videos on these topics, please visit the Additional Resources page.