The Deadly Force Script: How the Police in America Defend the Use of Excessive Force - William Harmening cover
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The Deadly Force Script: How the Police in America Defend the Use of Excessive Force - William Harmening

by William Harmening

ISBN
9781639050048
Publisher
American Bar Association
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The Deadly Force Script: How the Police in America Defend the Use of Excessive Force William Harmening ISBN 9781639050048

How many times have you read a news story about someone being shot by police while allegedly reaching for their waistband? Or heard an officer testify at trial that the person they shot during a struggle possessed “superhuman strength” or had a “thousand-yard stare”? How often have you watched a police chief or sheriff cite the so-called “21-foot rule” to justify the killing of a mentally ill person armed with a knife?

These and many other familiar phrases are what author William Harmening calls the “deadly force script.” This is a carefully constructed strategy that law enforcement has used effectively for decades, particularly following the landmark 1985 U.S. Supreme Court decision Tennessee v. Garner, which imposed the first significant restrictions on police use of deadly force. Despite its widespread use, the deadly force script has largely gone unnoticed by the public, the media, prosecutors, and even the judges and juries tasked with evaluating the reasonableness of an officer’s actions.

For perhaps the first time, William Harmening lifts the curtain on this pervasive strategy. Through detailed case studies, he shows how the deadly force script has been applied in real police encounters—often right under the noses of local media and prosecutors—shaping narratives and influencing outcomes.

Anyone concerned with achieving a fair, unbiased justice system and a professional, accountable police force will find this book both illuminating and thought-provoking.

The Deadly Force Script: How the Police in America Defend the Use of Excessive Force William Harmening ISBN 9781639050048, 978-1639050048 & 9781639050055

Author
William Harmening

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