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Approved by the POST Board August 17, 2020 <br />3) DEFINITIONS <br />a) Bodily Harm: Physical pain or injury. <br />b) Great Bodily Harm: Bodily injury which creates a high probability of death, or which <br />causes serious, permanent disfigurement, or which causes a permanent or protracted <br />loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ or other serious bodily <br />harm. <br />c) Deadly Force: Force used by an officer that the officer knows, or reasonably should know, <br />creates a substantial risk of causing death or great bodily harm. The intentional discharge <br />of a firearm in the direction of another person, or at a vehicle in which another person is <br />believed to be, constitutes deadly force. <br />d) De -Escalation: Taking action or communicating verbally or non -verbally during a <br />potential force encounter in an attempt to stabilize the situation and reduce the immediacy <br />of the threat so that more time, options, and resources can be called upon to resolve the <br />situation without the use of force or with a reduction in the force necessary. De-escalation <br />may include the use of such techniques as command presence, advisements, warnings, <br />verbal persuasion, and tactical repositioning. <br />e) Other Than Deadly Force: Force used by an officer that does not have the purpose of <br />causing, nor create a substantial risk of causing, death or great bodily harm. <br />f) Choke Hold: A method by which a person applies sufficient pressure to a person to <br />make breathing difficult or impossible, and includes but is not limited to any pressure to <br />the neck, throat, or windpipe that may prevent or hinder breathing, or reduce intake of <br />air. Choke hold also means applying pressure to a person's neck on either side of the <br />windpipe, but not to the windpipe itself, to stop the flow of blood to the brain via the <br />carotid arteries. <br />g) Authorized Device: A device an officer has received permission from the agency to carry <br />and use in the discharge of that officer's duties, and for which the officer has: <br />a. obtained training in the technical, mechanical and physical aspects of the <br />device; and <br />b. developed a knowledge and understanding of the law, rules and <br />regulations regarding the use of such a device. <br />4) PROCEDURE <br />a) General Provisions <br />1. Use of physical force should be discontinued when resistance ceases or <br />when the incident is under control. <br />2. Physical force shall not be used against individuals in restraints, except as <br />objectively reasonable to prevent their escape or prevent imminent bodily <br />injury to the individual, the officer, or another person. In these situations, only <br />the amount of force necessary to control the situation shall be used. <br />2 Rev. 7/20 <br />