Bowhntr6pt
Master
Late to the thread...
Lots of good talking points in here already.
I've been in LE for over 20 years and have had countless hours of "Justifiable Use of Force" training crammed down my throat and as a firearms instructor, SWAT Team Commander, Active Shooter Threat Response instructor, I've given countless hours of instruction on the topic including discretionary threat instruction.
I've responded to countless calls for service involving the U of F, including deadly force, and have made arrests as well as refrained from arrest pending further investigation. In short, I've had good exposure to how it works out legally where I live and work.
While FL law provides for justifiable U of F in defense of self and others, as already mentioned, it can get quite muddy. The most minor of detail can shift legal opinion.
In today's climate, I'd say the location of the incident can be as important or even more important than the specific facts involved in the incident... in other words, politics.
I've seen Force Response and Force Continuum charts come and go, fancy terms such as Intent, Opportunity, and Jeopardy be defined and redefined. What matters most is can you articulate using verifiable facts and circumstances to justify why you did what you did... to the degree another person of reasonable thought would most likely have come to the same conclusion(s) as you and would have taken the same action(s).
Even then... due to politics, it still might be an uphill legal battle.
With that said, I've always equated justifiable use of force to what they say about pornography or child abuse... you will know it when you se it. I'll take actions if/when I see a need, I won't allow a person to be victimized in my presence over fear of 1) not knowing the law, 2) understanding the intent and boundaries of the law, or 3) fear of what some other person not present in the moment might think.
Lots of good talking points in here already.
I've been in LE for over 20 years and have had countless hours of "Justifiable Use of Force" training crammed down my throat and as a firearms instructor, SWAT Team Commander, Active Shooter Threat Response instructor, I've given countless hours of instruction on the topic including discretionary threat instruction.
I've responded to countless calls for service involving the U of F, including deadly force, and have made arrests as well as refrained from arrest pending further investigation. In short, I've had good exposure to how it works out legally where I live and work.
While FL law provides for justifiable U of F in defense of self and others, as already mentioned, it can get quite muddy. The most minor of detail can shift legal opinion.
In today's climate, I'd say the location of the incident can be as important or even more important than the specific facts involved in the incident... in other words, politics.
I've seen Force Response and Force Continuum charts come and go, fancy terms such as Intent, Opportunity, and Jeopardy be defined and redefined. What matters most is can you articulate using verifiable facts and circumstances to justify why you did what you did... to the degree another person of reasonable thought would most likely have come to the same conclusion(s) as you and would have taken the same action(s).
Even then... due to politics, it still might be an uphill legal battle.
With that said, I've always equated justifiable use of force to what they say about pornography or child abuse... you will know it when you se it. I'll take actions if/when I see a need, I won't allow a person to be victimized in my presence over fear of 1) not knowing the law, 2) understanding the intent and boundaries of the law, or 3) fear of what some other person not present in the moment might think.
