Excessive Force Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Excessive Force - Essay Example This essay will summarize the incident, analyze the use of force and will look into measures to prevent police misconduct. Police Officer Edward Krawetz was convicted of a felony assault in March 2012 for the use of excessive force. â€Å"Officer Krawetz was caught on video kicking Donna Levesque (suspect) in the face, while she sat on a curb, handcuffed, in May 2009† (Allen, 2012). Although Krawetz claimed self-defense, the video clearly showed the officer kicking Levesque hard after she kicked him. Other officers at the scene agreed that Officer Krawetz was never in danger. After a trial, Karawetz was sentenced to a 10 year suspension without pay and to undergo counseling. In addition, the police department served him with a notice of termination. He will appear to a board hearing made up with three panel officers in accordance with the Officer Bill of Rights on a later date. According to Eyewitness News 12, it was reported that the incident was Karawetz’s second conviction (Daly, 2012). Officer Krawetz was previously convicted for a misdemeanor assault in 2001. Given the outcome of Kara wetz’s actions, it can be assumed that termination from service was something that Karawetz was expecting. Regardless of the reason leading to the arrest of a suspect, police officers are required to demonstrate integrity beyond approach (Ortmeier, 2006). Officers should never use unnecessary force or violence unless the situation necessitates it. Although there is no standard operating procedure for evaluating excessive force when subduing a suspect, common sense plays a good role when apprehending a suspect after employing handcuffs. The Constitution and other laws place limits on how far the police can enforce the law using appropriate measures. The use of excessive force should be as low as possible unless the officer is being threatened or in danger. According to Segan’s (2012)