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Police Officers Have The California Penal Code 835a Under Their Disposal

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Use of force has been scrutinized even more recently due to the media. Recordings of officers using force (weather excessive or not) become uploaded to the web and many individuals quickly jump to conclusions. Police use of force is up to the discretion of each individual police officer, and with each action a multitude of consequences can occur. The public often gets enraged after a court justifies the use of force, but often individuals do not have the full facts or understand how the justice system works. Because of the outcomes of some use of force cases, many individuals are asking for transparency of agencies. Policy makers are often quick to react to satisfy the public by changing police policy. Police officers have the California Penal code 835a under their disposal. 835a lets officers use reasonable force to affect the arrest, prevent escape and overcome resistance. Police officers are never fully informed of each call they receive, which is why many officers are trained to quickly respond and modify their approach whenever a call gets picked up. Assessing the situation and adapting is what officers are trained to do. Unlike citizens at home, who are being informed of the details after the fact, officers are trained to protect themselves as well as the greater public. Whenever a police officer exercises use of force, officers are mandated to file paperwork and provide statements of what occurs. Citizens may believe that because officers have a position of power,

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