When is it appropriate to use impact weapons?

When is it appropriate to use impact weapons?

• A. You must obtain supervisor approval
• B. When empty hands has failed
• C. Deadly force is not justified
• D. When you can articulate why you did not use empty hands

Answer: (B)

Impact weapons fit into the use-of-force continuum as the next step when empty-hand techniques fail to gain control of a resistant subject. They’re appropriate when the threat persists and you need a greater level of force to stop it, but the situation does not yet require deadly force. The goal is to gain control safely and efficiently with the least amount of force necessary, then disengage. Policies about supervisor approval are situational and not the deciding factor in the moment, and whether deadly force is justified is a separate legal assessment; the essential criterion is that lower-force methods have failed to stop the threat.

Impact weapons fit into the use-of-force continuum as the next step when empty-hand techniques fail to gain control of a resistant subject. They’re appropriate when the threat persists and you need a greater level of force to stop it, but the situation does not yet require deadly force. The goal is to gain control safely and efficiently with the least amount of force necessary, then disengage. Policies about supervisor approval are situational and not the deciding factor in the moment, and whether deadly force is justified is a separate legal assessment; the essential criterion is that lower-force methods have failed to stop the threat.