Description

The Family Law Professional's Field Guide to High-Conflict Litigation: Dynamics, Not Diagnoses Benjamin Garber ISBN 9781639050109

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 claim at trial that the person they shot during a struggle had “superhuman strength” or a “thousand-yard stare”? How often have you seen a police chief or sheriff cite the “21-foot rule” to justify the killing of a mentally ill person armed with a knife?

These familiar phrases are part of what author William Harmening calls the “deadly force script.” It 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 for the first time imposed meaningful limits on a police officer’s use of deadly force. Despite its widespread use, this script has largely gone unnoticed by the public, the media, elected prosecutors, and even the judges and juries responsible for evaluating an officer’s actions.

For perhaps the first time, Harmening pulls back the veil on this pervasive strategy. Through detailed case studies, he demonstrates 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 the outcomes of investigations and trials.

Anyone invested in the ideals of a fair, accountable justice system and a professional, impartial police force will find this book both revealing and essential.

The Family Law Professional's Field Guide to High-Conflict Litigation: Dynamics, Not Diagnoses Benjamin Garber ISBN 9781639050109, 978-1639050109 & 9781639050116

Authors
Benjamin Garber
Chris Mulchay
Dana E Prescott