Forum Six Discussion
Forum Six (6) Discussion:
Select a U.S. court case ruling that impacted how law enforcement operated and how law enforcement changed police practices to comply with the law.
Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989)
The Supreme Court ruling on Graham’s case encompassed how the law enforcement officers are to approach any investigatory stops and use force while undertaking an arrest (Justia, 2020). The case involved Graham, a diabetic individual spotted by a police officer, Connor, for entering and exiting the convenience store very fast. This behavior was considered odd by Connor, and thus he made an investigative stop to ask Graham and his friend to assess the version of events. Other officers would handcuff graham before Connor confirmed everything was fine at the store leading to Graham’s release. Graham filed a lawsuit against Connor for the use of excessive force during the investigatory, thus infringing his Fourteenth Amendment rights.
The Supreme Court ruled on the cases’ appeal that excessive force claims need to be evaluated using the objectively reasonable standard outlined in the Fourth Amendment (Justia, 2020). This standard requires the judicial courts to scrutinize the circumstantial facts in the police officer’s use of force instead of considering the officer’s intent or motivation to use force. Prior to making investigatory stops and excessive force, law enforcement officers must have reasonable reasons for doing so. They need to articulate the facts and circumstances of the case that led to their decision, which should not relate the officers’ emotions, hunches, good faith, intent and motivations.
The case was considering the interests of three stakeholders when it guided the conduct of police officers in doing investigatory stops and the use of excessive force. The public has the right to move around with no restrictions; the government has the right to law enforcement and the police officers who must enforce the laws, and this right exercised without suffering injury.
References
Justia. (2020). Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989). Retrieved from https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/490/386/