Policy Text
III. Officer Response Options
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D. Deadly Force
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3. Officers shall not use deadly force in the following situations:
a. When circumstances do not provide a reasonable probability of striking the intended
target or when there is substantial risk to the safety of innocent bystanders or officers;
b. Against felons who are known to be unarmed and non-dangerous, whether fleeing or
not;
c. Against misdemeanor or traffic offenders, whether fleeing or not;
d. By discharging a firearm at a moving vehicle unless a person in the vehicle is
immediately threatening the officer or another person with deadly force by a means
other than the vehicle;
1) For the purposes of this GO, a moving vehicle alone shall not presumptively
constitute a threat that justifies an officer’s use of deadly force;
2) Officers shall not move into or remain in the path of a moving vehicle. Moving into
or remaining in the path of a moving vehicle, whether deliberate or inadvertent,
shall not be justification for discharging a firearm at the vehicle or any of its
occupants. An officer in the path of an approaching vehicle shall attempt to move
to a position of safety rather than discharging a firearm at the vehicle or any of the
occupants of the vehicle.
e. By discharging a firearm from a moving vehicle, except in exigent circumstances
warranting the immediate defense of life.
4. The prohibitions regarding the discharge of a firearm at or from a moving vehicle exist for the
following reasons:
a. Bullets fired at a moving vehicle are extremely unlikely to disable or stop the vehicle;
b. Disabling the driver of a moving vehicle creates unpredictable circumstances that may
cause the vehicle to crash and injure other officers or innocent citizens;
c. Shooting accurately from a moving vehicle is extremely difficult and therefore unlikely
to successfully stop a threat to an officer or other person; and
d. Moving to cover to gain and maintain a superior tactical advantage maximizes officer
and public safety while minimizing the need for deadly or potentially deadly force.