Orlando police are trying to improve their image after a report was recently issued that maligned the department for use of force. In November of 2015 the Orlando Sentinel published the results of an investigation showing the police had “used force on 3,100 people, causing 1,900 injuries, from Jan. 1, 2010, through Dec. 31, 2014.” In the last week Police Chief John Mina issued a department-wide directive: he wants his officers to use “’only the minimal amount of force necessary’" when they are enforcing the law and keeping the peace.
While this declaration may lower the number of instances in which the police use force, they may need more specific guidance and increased training in order to put an end to the use of force in so many cases. How much force is the right amount? How is “minimal” defined? These are questions that need answers. Hopefully they will be answered in the coming months when officers begin to benefit from training related to the use of force.