Journal: Fleeing Felon

Week Four Journal: Fleeing Felon

As we have all seen, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Tennessee v. Garner transformed many aspects of daily operational procedures for law enforcement. While the decision was extremely controversial at its inception, as time has worn on most people, including police officers, have acknowledged that the Court was correct and just in its assertion that the use of deadly force against an unarmed fleeing felon was unconstitutional. In the light of recent controversies surrounding a spate of police shootings of unarmed civilians, many of the issues pertinent in the Tennessee ruling have been raised again.

In this week’s journal, explore the issue of the use of deadly force against a fleeing felon. In your own words, state why you think such a use of force should be allowed or disallowed by the courts. Are the police just in using deadly force against an individual who flees after having committed (or is suspected of committing) a felony? Are the police just in using deadly force against an individual who is suspected of committing a felony but takes evasive action? Reflect upon those two questions. Your journal entry this week should be at least one page in length.