Lethal Force Encounter

“The essential elements to be considered are the inherent danger reasonably perceived at the time and the physical realities that apply at the time. These physical realities include the factors of action versus reaction times, the abilities of the involved parties, the limited time available to recognize, react, initiate and implement a response, the sensory distortions that will occur in any high stress lifethreatening incident and the limited means available to compel a timely halt to the threatening activity. These elements must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer within the incident and not with the application of 20/20 hindsight.” [Ref. 15 Patrick & Hall] The justified use of force elements hold true whether Officer or Citizen. Officer or Citizen need to be viewed from the perspective of the incident and not with 20/20 hindsight. To understand the timing of a lethal force encounter we need to discuss reaction time, both the mental process and the physical process.