Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

primary response officers is to control and contain the scene and gather information
about the individual pending the arrival of the ETF. 40
D. Comparative use of force models
1. IACP Model Use of Force Policy
46. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has produced several
model documents and background papers regarding police use of force and interactions
with persons with mental illness or in crisis. The IACP Model Policy on Use of Force
requires that officers use only the force that reasonably appears necessary to effectively
bring an incident under control while protecting the lives of the officer and others.
Officers are authorized to use deadly force to protect the officer or others from a
reasonably believed threat of death or serious bodily harm, or to prevent the escape of a
fleeing violent individual where there is probable cause to believe the individual will
pose a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to others. Similar to the TPS
policy, officers are not permitted to discharge firearms at moving vehicles unless a
person in the vehicle is immediately threatening the officer or another person with
deadly force. 41
47. The IACP notes that the most important component of regulating the use of force
is first-line supervision. According to the IACP, use of force can range widely from
verbal coercion to lethal force, so police need a variety of tactics and equipment to
respond appropriately to any given situation. These tactics include skills in verbal
persuasion. In addition to firearm proficiency testing, the IACP recommends routine
instruction and periodic testing on a police service’s specific use-of-force policy,
including practical exercises in making decisions regarding use of deadly force. 42
2. IACP Model Policy on Responding to Persons with Mental
Illness or in Crisis
48. The IACP Model Policy on Responding to Persons with Mental Illness or in Crisis
recommends that officers receive training to recognize behaviour that is indicative of
mental illness or crisis. Those behaviours include strong fear, extremely inappropriate
behaviour, abnormal memory loss related to common facts, delusions, hallucinations of
any of the senses, and a belief that one is suffering from extraordinary, impossible
physical maladies. 43
49. In addition to the indicia of mental health issues or crises, the IACP model
document sets out several risk assessment factors for officers to consider. These include
40
Toronto Police Service, Emergencies & Hazardous Incidents, 10-05 “Incidents Requiring the Emergency Task Force” (Toronto,
ON: Toronto Police Service, 2011) at 3.
41
International Association of Chiefs of Police National Law Enforcement Policy Centre, Model Policy on Use of Force (Alexandria,
VG: International Association of Chiefs of Police National Law Enforcement Policy Centre, February 2006).
42
Ibid.
43
International Association of Chiefs of Police National Law Enforcement Policy Centre, Responding to Persons Affected by Mental
Illness or in Crisis: Concepts and Issues Paper (Alexandria, VG: International Association of Chiefs of Police National Law
Enforcement Policy Centre, January 2014).
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