Police.
"Deadly force." Force which, under the circumstances in
which it is used, is readily capable of causing death or serious
bodily injury.
"Force." Efforts used by an officer that may result in
serious bodily injury or death when used to:
(1) Effectuate an arrest.
(2) Overcome resistance or threatened resistance to
effectuate an arrest.
(3) Protect the arresting officer or any other person
from injury or death.
"Law enforcement agency." A law enforcement agency in this
Commonwealth that is the employer of a law enforcement officer.
"Law enforcement officer." The term shall have the same
meaning as the term "peace officer" under 18 Pa.C.S. § 501
(relating to definitions).
"Serious bodily injury." Bodily injury that creates a
substantial risk of death or which causes serious, permanent
disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function
of a bodily member or organ.
"Weapon." Anything readily capable of lethal use and
possessed under circumstances not manifestly appropriate for
lawful uses which it may have. The term includes a firearm which
is not loaded or lacks a clip or other component to render it
immediately operable, and components which can readily be
assembled into a weapon.
§ 2143. Written policies required.
(a) General rule.--Each law enforcement agency shall develop
and implement a written use of force policy governing the
procedures under which a law enforcement officer should
initiate, continue and terminate the use of force. This policy
may be the model policy endorsed by a national or State
organization or association that is consistent with the
requirements of this subchapter. The written policy shall
reflect consideration of the guidelines under this section.
(b) Intent of guidelines.--The guidelines under this section
are solely intended to direct agencies in developing use of
force policies and outline the content of these policies. The
guidelines contained in this section are not intended to mandate
the actions of individual law enforcement officers.
(c) Policy guidelines.--Each agency policy shall be
consistent with current training and certification standards and
include the following procedural elements:
(1) Decision-making criteria or principles for
initiation of force. These criteria or principles may
include, but are not limited to:
(i) The severity of the crime at issue.
(ii) Whether the suspect poses an immediate threat
to the safety of the law enforcement officer or others.
(iii) The potential for harm or immediate or
potential danger to others if the fleeing individual or
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