Use-of-force encounters between the police and violent arrestees have in creased over the past few years. Annually in a small number of these ar rests, the individual suddenly and unexpectedly dies in police custody after a period of intense struggle—frequently in restraints. Such wrongful deaths in custody generate civil lawsuits. This discussion identifies the liability factors associated with these deaths by examining cases filed under tort theories of negligence in state courts and claims filed in federal court un der provision of Title 42 United States Code Section 1983. The analysis addresses standards of using force, medical care and training issues. Rec ommendations for police administrators are also presented.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Alpert, G.P.1989. "Police Use of Deadly Force: The Miami Experience ." In Critical Issues in Policing: Contemporary Readings, edited by R.D. Dunham and G.P Alpert. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
2.
Barrineau, H.E.1994. Civil Liability in Criminal Justice. 2nd ed. Cincinnati : Anderson Publishing Company.
3.
Bayley, D.H. and J. Garofalo.1989. "Patrol Officer Effectiveness in Managing Conflict During Police-Citizen Contacts." Pp. B1-88 in Report to the New York State Commission on Criminal Justice and the Use of Force. Vol. 3 (May). Albany, NY: New York State Commission on Criminal Justice and the Use of Force.
4.
Binder, A. and L.A. Fridell.1983. "The Use of Firearms by Officers: The Impact of Individuals, Communities, and Race." Ph.D. diss., State University of New York, Albany.
5.
Binder, A. and P. Scharf.1980. "The Violent Police Citizen Encounter ." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science452: 111-21.
6.
Blumberg, M.1982. "Issues and Controversies with Respect to the Use of Deadly Force by Police." Pp. 40-62 in Police Deviance, edited by T. Baker and D.L. Carter.Cincinnati: Pilgrimage .
7.
Chan, T., G. Vilke, T. Neuman and J. Clausen.1997. "Restraint Position Asphyxia." Annals of Emergency Medicine30(5): 578-86.
8.
Chevigny, P.B.1969. Police Power: Police Abuse in New York City. New York: Vintage Books.
9.
Croft, E.B.1985. "Police Use of Force: An Empirical Analysis." Ph.D. diss., State University of New York at Albany.
10.
Croft, E.B., and B.A. Austin.1987. "Police Use of Force in Rochester and Syracuse, New York, 1984 and 1985." Pp. C1-C128 in Report to the New York State Commission on Criminal Justice and the Use of Force. Vol. III (May). Albany, NY: New York State Commission on Criminal Justice and the Use of Force .
11.
del Carmen, R.V.1991. Civil Liabilities in American Policing: A Text for Law Enforcement Personnel. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Brady.
12.
del Carmen, R.V., and VE Kappeler.1991. "Municipal and Police Agencies as Defendants: Liability for Official Policy and Custom." American Journal of Police10(1): 1-17.
13.
Fridell, L.1989. "Justifiable Use of Force Measures in Research on Deadly Force." Journal of Criminal Justice17: 157-65.
14.
Friedrich, R.J.1980. "Police Use of Force: Individuals, Situations and Organizations ." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 425 (11):82-97.
15.
Fyfe, J.J.1987. "Shots Fired: An Examination of New York City Police Firearms Discharges." Ph.D. diss., State University of New York , Albany.
16.
—. 1988. "Police Use of Deadly Force: Research and Reform ." Justice Quarterly5: 165-205.
Garner, J., J. Buchanan, T. Schade and J. Hepburn.1996. Executive Summary: Understanding the Use of Force By and Against the Police. Washington, DC : National Institute of Justice.
19.
Geller, W. and H. Toch.1995. "Improving Our Understanding and Control of Police Abuse of Force: Recommendations for Research and Action." Pp. 277-337 in And Justice for All: Understanding and Controlling Police Abuse of Force, edited by W. Geller and H. Toch.Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum.
20.
Geller, W.A.1985. "Officer Restraint in the Use of Deadly Force: The Next Frontier in Police Shooting Research." Journal of Police Science and Administration13(2): 153-71.
21.
Greenfeld, P., A. Langham, S. Smith and R. Kaminski.1997. Research Brief: Police Use of Force: Collection of National Data. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
22.
Greenleaf, R.G. and L. Lanza-Kaduce .1995. "Sophistication, Organization, and Authority-Subject Conflict: Rediscovering and Unraveling Turk's Theory of Norm Resistance." Criminology33(4): 565-85.
23.
Horvath, F.1987. "The Police Use of Deadly Force: A Description of Selected Characteristics of Intrastate Incidents." Journal of Police Science and Administration15(3):226-38.
24.
Jacobs, D., and D. Britt.1979. "Inequality and Police Use of Deadly Force: An Empirical Assessment of a Conflict Hypothesis." Social Problems24: 401-11.
25.
Kappeler, V.1997. Critical Issues in Police Civil Liability. 2nd ed. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
26.
Kappeler, V., M. Vaughn and R.V. del Carmen .1991. "Death in Detention: An Analysis of Police Liability For Negligent Failure to Prevent Suicide." Journal of Criminal Justice19:381-93.
27.
Kappeler, V., S.F. Kappeler and R.V. del Carmen .1993. "A Content Analysis of Police Civil Liability Cases: Decisions of the Federal Courts, 1978-1990." Journal of Criminal Justice21(4): 325-37.
28.
Lester, D.1984. "The Use of Deadly Force by Police." Police Journal57: 170-71.
29.
LRP Publications.1992. Personal Injury Verdict Reviews. Horsham, PA: LRP Publications.
30.
Matstrofski, S. and R. Parks.1990. "Improving Observational Studies of Police." Criminology28: 475-96.
31.
Matulia, K.1982. A Balance of Forces. Gaithersburg, MD: International Association of Chiefs of Police.
32.
McLaughlin, V.1992. Police and the Use of Force: The Savannah Study . Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers .
33.
Milton, C.H., J.W. Lardner and G.L. Albrecht.1997. "Police Use of Deadly Force." In Critical Issues in Law Enforcement, edited by H.W. Moore Jr.4th rev. ed. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson Publishing .
34.
Pate, A. and L. Fridell.1993. Police Use of Force: Official Reports, Citizen Complaints, and Legal Consequences. Washington, DC: The Police Foundation.
35.
Reiss, A.1971. The Police and the Public. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
36.
Ross, D.L. and M. Jones.1996. "Frequency of Training in Less-Than-Lethal Force Tactics and Weapons: Results of a Two-State Study." Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice12(3): 250-63.
37.
Schultz, D. and J. Service.1981. The Police Use of Force. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher.
38.
Silver, I.1997. Police Civil Liability. New York: Matthew Bender Publishers.
39.
Sykes, R.E., and E.E. Brent.1983. Policing: A Social Behaviorist Perspective . Brunswick, NJ: New Rutgers University Press.
40.
Vaughn, M. and L. Coomes.1995. "Police Civil Liability Under Section 1983: When Do Police Officers Act Under Color of Law?" Journal of Criminal Justice23(5): 395-415.
41.
Vaughn, M. and R.V del Carmen.1995. "Civil Liability Against Prison Officials for Inmate-on-Inmate Assault: Where Are We and Where Have We Been?" The Prison Journal75 (1): 69-89.
42.
Waegel, W.B.1984. The Use of Lethal Force by Police: The Complaint . Journal of Police Science and Administration8: 247-52.
