PRINTER'S NO. 2222
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1664
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY LEE, GAINEY, KINSEY, FRANKEL, FIEDLER, RABB,
A. DAVIS, KIRKLAND, YOUNGBLOOD, HILL-EVANS, McCLINTON,
KENYATTA, WEBSTER, BULLOCK, DAVIDSON, INNAMORATO, HARRIS,
OTTEN, WHEATLEY, CEPHAS, SIMS, D. MILLER, JOHNSON-HARRELL AND
KOSIEROWSKI, JUNE 24, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, JUNE 24, 2019
AN ACT
Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in general principles of
justification, further providing for use of force in law
enforcement.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 508(a) of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
ยง 508. Use of force in law enforcement.
(a) Peace officer's use of force in making arrest.--
[(1)] A peace officer, or any person whom he has summoned
or directed to assist him, need not retreat or desist from
efforts to make a lawful arrest because of resistance or
threatened resistance to the arrest. He is justified in the
use of [any] reasonable force which he believes to be
necessary to effect the arrest and of [any] reasonable force
which he believes to be necessary to defend himself or
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