ASSOCIATE Magazine FBINAA Q1-2025

Police violence and use of excessive force during the different phases of an interven tion is a major concern for any law enforce ment agency (LEA). Furthermore, this issue has only recently been addressed from organizations themselves. Provided that security services and governments have the monopoly and the exclusive right to use force, it is essential to enforce strict means of control according to national and international legislation. Equally or more important to prevent such situations is how police leaders face it, implement ef fective measures, and manage incidents. P olice violence, even if it has been recently addressed, is not a contemporary or modern issue. We find a first writ ten mention of it in a British newspaper called “ The Poor Man’s Guardian,” which published an article in 1833 concerning a dem onstration in support of police brutality victims. Given that this is an old phenomenon, we can only admit that the efforts made to date have not been sufficient to eradicate it or at least reduce its impact and scope. Moreover, the scale of these events is greatly amplified nowadays by social media and new technologies. Indeed, any police intervention is easily recorded, broadcasted and, in some cases, manipulated. The impact on the community is therefore much more significant and more immediate than a few years ago. The effectiveness of police services is largely based on the police-community relationship. Building strong relationships requires mutual trust and respect. This can only be achieved through the transparency and accountability of the police agen cies as well as an appropriate training and awareness of officers. CRITICAL ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN ADDRESSING AND PREVENTING EXCESSIVE USE OF BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

FORCE

BENJAMIN RASCAGNERES, NA SESSION 268

However, excessive or unnecessary use of force may occur, and such acts cannot be tolerated. Controlling police action is es sential and leadership skills are inestimable resources to prevent and manage these kinds of incidents. In an effort to prevent and manage incidents appropriately and effectively, police leaders must acquire a comprehensive knowledge of police practices and the underlying cultural mechanisms that tend to justify excessive or unnecessary use of force by officers. Consequently, it is necessary to globally understand the causes that underlie excessive use of force. Obvi ously, we cannot perform an in-depth survey about this subject as it is highly complex and requires extensive academic research. However, we can point out the main reasons or, at least, some elements for analysis and reflection. It is undeniable that our societies are becoming more vio lent and that terrorists’ activities are alarmingly increasing, com mitting extreme acts of unbearable violence. Simultaneously, we may acknowledge certain police officers’ cultural attitudes and behaviors as result oriented. Specifically, in investigative units (and more likely those in charge of serious crimes investiga tions), detectives generally intensely focus on results that may lead to an inappropriate use of force in some cases. This result oriented culture is partly due to media and political pressure on police agencies. In the meantime, first responders are also confronted with extreme violence on a daily basis, and it is well known that violence begets violence. Secondly, we ought to define more precisely what we mean by excessive use of force or police violence. These widely utilized terms are depicted by their ambiguity and lack of concreteness. We must keep in mind that the government, through its security and defense services and agencies, has defined the legitimate use of force. Thus, the mere use of public force, i.e., the use of violence, does not necessarily imply ill-treatment or illegal use of force. Public force must always be exercised in accordance with the principles of necessity and proportionality, with discern ment, awareness, professionalism and respecting human rights. Thereafter, any breach of these principles might be considered an excessive use of force and could constitute a criminal offense. Beyond this global and, we must admit, theoretical definition, it is imperative to consider that the most usual and frequent forms of police brutality do not always imply physical violence. Excessive use of force in its physical form is not an issue

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20 FBINAA.ORG | Q1 2025