16-2

GENERAL ORDER 16 -2 USE OF FORCE 1 P L A N T C I T Y P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T General Order Title USE OF FORCE General Order Number 16-2 Effective: 01/01/1996 Revised : 08/21/2025 Reviewed : 04/29/2024 CFA: 4.01, 4.02, 4.04, 4.05, 4.07, 4.08, 4.09, The purpose of this directive is to establish guidelines and regulations for the use of defensive action by officers. Investing police officers with the lawful aut hority to use force to protect the public welfare, a careful balancing of all human interests is required. A sw orn officer is empowered by State Statutes to use that amount of defensive action which is deemed reasonable and necessary to defend themselves or another from bo dily harm while making an arrest, or during an act of aggression from a subject. That defensiv e response may range from verbal persuasion to lethal force. This directive is for departmental use only and does not apply in any criminal or civil proceedings. The procedure of this department should not be construed as a creation of a higher legal stan dard of safety or care in an evidential sense with respect to third party claims. Violations of this directive should only form the basis of departmental administ rative sanctions. Violations of law should form the basis for criminal and civil sanctions in a recognized judicial setting. Where defensive action is warranted, officers should assess the incident in order to determine which technique or weapon will reasonably de -escalate the incident and bring it under control safely. INTENT It is the intent o f the Plant City Police Department that personnel use only that amount of defensive action which is reasonably necessary to affect lawful objectives. All officers shall act in good faith in the exercise of defensive action. It is the intent of the Plant C ity Police Department that individuals engaged in nonviolent civil rights demonstrations shall not be subjected to excessive force or force that is considered unreasonable or unnecessary when confronted by officers of this department. The use of defensive actions by officers during civil rights demonstrations shall be in compliance with the accepted procedures of the Plant City Police Department. Defensive Action - The use of force in a defensive manner by a police officer to overcome a person's physical resistance to the officer's performance of a legal duty, to protect the officer or another person from physical resistance or acts of aggression that are likely to cause bodily harm, or used to apprehend a fleeing criminal suspect. Examples of defensive a ction include: PURPOSE INTENT DEFINITIONS DISCUSSION GENERAL ORDER 16 -2 USE OF FORCE 2 A. Officer presence and verbal exchange. 1. Body language, defensive stance, alert, attentive, ready for further action. 2. Verbal direction, verbal pers uasion, dialogue. B. The use of empty hand control/chemical agent. 1. Soft hand control techniques such as touching, escort holds, joint locks, and pressure point control methods. 2. The use of department issued Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray. 3. Hard hand control techniques such as striking blows with hands, fists, or kicks. C. The use of intermediate weapon s. 1. Expandable baton or other impact weapon . 2. The use of the Taser 7. 3. Drag Stabilized Bean Bag Munitions D. The use of lethal force. 1. Firearms. 2. The use of any oth er object likely to cause death or great bodily harm. Less -lethal Defensive Actions - That de fensive action which is neither likely nor intended to cause death or serious physical injury. Lethal Defensive Action - That defensive action which is likely to cause death or great bodily harm. This action is defined in Florida State Statute 776.06, "De adly force." Physical Control - The necessary employment of police restraints and/or other defensive actions by a police officer. Reasonable Belief - The facts or circumstances the officer knows, or should know, are such as to cause an ordinary and prude nt person to act or think in a similar way under similar circumstances. Great Bodily Harm/Serious Physical Injury - A bodily injury which creates a substantial risk of death, causes serious permanent disfigurement, or results in long term loss or impairme nt of the functioning of any body part or organ. The phrases “great bodily harm” and “serious physical injury” are considered synonymous for purposes of this dire ctive. Chokeholds: The intentional and prolonged application of force to the throat, windpipe , or airway of another person that prevents the intake of air. The term does not include any hold involving contact with another person’s neck that is GENERAL ORDER 16 -2 USE OF FORCE 3 not intended to prevent the intake of air. De-Escalation Techniques : Taking action or communicating verb ally or non -verbally during a potential force encounter in an attempt to stabilize the situation and reduce the immediacy of the threat so that more time, options , and resources can be called upon to resolve the situation without the use of force or with a reduction in the force necessary. Duty to Intervene : An attempt to prevent or stop the use of excessive force by another officer when it is objectively reasonable to do so. Objectively Reasonable : The determination that the necessity for using force