The United States Supreme Court in the City of Canton v. Harris (1989) held failing to train police officers may be the basis for managerial liability under Title 42 United States Code Section 1983. Using a content analysis, 1,525 Section 1983 lawsuits alleging failure to train were reviewed from 1989 to 1999. The research revealed ten frequent topic areas where the plaintiff regularly identifies police administrators as defendants. Emerging trends of this litigation and recommendations for police administrators are discussed.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Allegations of excessive force in policing have been cited as one of the most frequent claims filed against the police in arrest situations. The United States Supreme Court in Graham v. Connor (1989) determined that``objective reasonableness'' is the Fourth Amendment standard to be used in evaluating claims of excessive force. This paper analyzes the patterns of lower federal court decisions in 1,200 published Section 1983 cases decided from 1989 to 1999. The assessment examines how these courts have applied and interpreted the standard in four categories involving force. Policy and training issues are discussed and future research concerns are presented.

Introduction It has been suggested that law enforcement officer (LEO) weight on the backs of prone subjects may cause asphyxia. Methods Law enforcement officers used their agency-trained “local” single- and double-knee techniques, the “Wisconsin” 3-Point Ground Stabilization, and the Human Factor Research Group Inc single-knee tactical handcuffing techniques, and the weight force was measured. Results Forty-one LEOs (36 men, 5 women) participated, aged 38.4 ± 8.3 years, and weighing 96.2 ± 19.4 kg. The double-knee technique transmitted more weight than single knee (P < 0.0001). Wisconsin technique force was lower than other single-knee techniques (P < 0.0001). Double-knee weight was 23.3 kg plus 24% of LEO's body weight. Mean values for local and Human Factor Research Group Inc single-knee were 30.9 and 32.9 kg, respectively. The Wisconsin single knee weight force was given by 15.4 kg plus 9.5 kg for a male. Conclusions A double-knee technique applies more weight force than single-knee techniques. The Wisconsin single-knee technique provides the least weight force of single-knee techniques. Law enforcement officer body weight is irrelevant to prone-force weight with single-knee techniques. With double-knee restraint, it has a modest influence. Our data do not support the hypothesis of restraint asphyxia.

No abstract