Which statement about deadly force is correct?

Which statement about deadly force is correct?

• A. Deadly force is force used to stop traffic violations.
• B. Deadly force is never permitted in policing.
• C. Deadly force is force capable of causing death or serious bodily injury; used to protect against an imminent threat of death or serious harm.
• D. Deadly force is only used to detain a suspect when there is no imminent threat.

Answer: (C)

Deadly force is defined as force capable of causing death or serious bodily injury and is justified only to counter an imminent threat of death or serious harm. This means the danger must be immediate and of such severity that there is no reasonable safer option to prevent the harm, and the force used must be proportional to that threat. It’s not about stopping traffic violations, and deadly force is not never permitted—it’s allowed under strict conditions when there is an imminent threat. It also isn’t appropriate simply to detain someone when there is no imminent threat.

Deadly force is defined as force capable of causing death or serious bodily injury and is justified only to counter an imminent threat of death or serious harm. This means the danger must be immediate and of such severity that there is no reasonable safer option to prevent the harm, and the force used must be proportional to that threat. It’s not about stopping traffic violations, and deadly force is not never permitted—it’s allowed under strict conditions when there is an imminent threat. It also isn’t appropriate simply to detain someone when there is no imminent threat.