excessive force
Beyond necessary restraint
Excessive force describes physical force by police or other authorities that goes beyond what's reasonably necessary to control a situation.
The term appears in legal contexts, civil rights discussions, and news coverage of police misconduct: The officer was charged with using excessive force during the arrest.
What counts as excessive depends on circumstances—force appropriate for an armed suspect differs from force appropriate for a traffic stop.
- police brutalityUnjustified force by officers
- chokeholdNeck-constricting restraint
- choke pointConstricted passage limiting movement
- disproportionateNot properly scaled
- unlawfulForbidden by statute
overkill · racial profiling · no-knock raid · unreasonable · abuse of power · injury · unconstitutional · civil rights · police misconduct · internal affairs · militarization · human rights violations · oversight · abuse · physical harm · due process · taser · law enforcement
- policingpatrol, police powers, arrests, police officer, arrest
- foulslow blow, headbutt, eye gouge, biting, rabbit punch
- police reformpolice brutality, police misconduct, body cameras, community oversight, qualified immunity
- legal defensesself-defense, alibi, affirmative defense, insanity defense, insanity
- Police Forceless lethal, tasers, pepper spray, batons, handcuffs
- police misconductpolice brutality, brutality, misconduct, abuse of power, abuse of authority
excessive forcerestraint
Control over impulses
self-control · de-escalation · forbearance · moderation · composure