USE OF FORCE
GARNER POLICE DEPARTMENT policy dictates that police officers will use only that force necessary to protect life and affect lawful objectives . In addition to the use of physical force , police officers in Garner are equipped with and trained to use batons , conducted electrical weapons ( better known by the name brand “ Taser ”) and , if necessary , their
firearms when performing their lawful duties .
Use of Force Review
Per directive , a reportable use of force is defined as :
1 . Any use of force that is applied to overcome overt physical resistance ( as defined herein ) or to overcome a physical assault by a suspect .
2 . Any use of force that causes an injury and / or a complaint of injury or pain to an officer or any other person or results in EMS being requested for a suspect or officer ;
3 . Any use of force that results in property damage to non-department owned property ;
4 . Physical strike ( s ) of a suspect or a strike ( s ) of a suspect with any other object ;
5 . The use of a baton to make physical contact ( a strike or other physical manipulation ) with a suspect ;
6 . The release of a police canine for the purpose of apprehending a suspect ;
7 . The display of a firearm ( with lethal or less lethal ammunition ), Taser , and / or baton to obtain the cooperation of a subject or subjects . * This definition was changed in 2021 from the intentional pointing of a firearm ( with lethal or less lethal ammunition ), Taser ,
Garner officers encountered at least 36,500 community member contacts through incident reports , calls for service , traffic stops , and arrests .
and / or baton to obtain the cooperation of a subject or subjects .
During 2021 , there were 43 reported use of force and 30 pointed weapons incidents that resulted in a total of 154 combined applications of force and pointed weapons . There were multiple incidents in which more than one officer was required to use force or a single officer used more than one type of force in order to subdue an individual . However , most of our use of force incidents continue to involve one officer and one offender .
Every incident in which force is used , or a firearm or Taser is pointed at a suspect by a Garner Police Officer , is thoroughly investigated and documented by supervisory staff and is reviewed through the department ’ s chain-ofcommand . The department utilizes the Administrative Investigations Management ( AIM ) system to document all use of force investigations .
In addition to the review of the individual incident , the Garner Police Department implemented an “ Early Intervention System ” ( EIS ) to more effectively evaluate employee performance . An EIS is a database police management tool that is designed to monitor officer activity to identify patterns and to provide for consistent , proactive intervention and assistance when appropriate . EIS
reviews are documented in the AIM system .
Statistical Summary
There were 755 arrests in 2021 , a decrease of 6.4 % from 2020 . There were 73 total uses of force , including weapon displays , which results in a use of force rate of 9.67 % for all arrests .
Excluding the 30 weapon displays , Garner officers encountered at least 36,500 community member contacts through incident reports , calls for service ,
GARNER POLICE DEPARTMENT 2021 ANNUAL REPORT 23