Due to their frequent exposure to danger, police officers may justify what appears to be excessive force if they feared for their lives. However, Michael Sierra-Arévalo, a sociologist at the University of Texas at Austin, argued that while it is not unconstitutional for police officers to believe that someone will hurt them, that presumption can lead to unconstitutional behavior and justifications for it.

When police officers are put on trial because their actions resulted in the death of a suspect, defense attorneys will emphasize the threat to the officer’s life to explain why excessive force was required. But what if the situation was not life-threatening, and the officer’s “fear for life” assertion was unfounded? Instead of demonstrating reasonable doubt, defense attorneys will persua

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