Which of the following is a permissible reason for deadly force in a law enforcement capacity?

• A. To arrest a suspect who is unarmed
• B. To defend himself or a 3rd party from what an officer reasonably believed to be use of imminent deadly force
• C. To threaten to use deadly force to gain compliance
• D. To shoot an unarmed suspect

Answer: (B)

Deadly force is permitted only when there is an imminent threat to life or to serious bodily harm, and the officer’s belief that deadly force is necessary is measured against what a reasonable officer would believe in the moment. The option described fits this standard: an officer may defend himself or another from what he reasonably believes to be imminent deadly force. That immediacy and reasonableness are what justify lethal action.

The other scenarios don’t meet that threshold. Using deadly force to arrest an unarmed person isn’t justified because there isn’t an imminent deadly threat. Threatening to use deadly force to gain compliance isn’t an actual use of force and would not meet the required justification. Shooting an unarmed suspect also fails because there is no imminent threat of death or serious harm to warrant lethal action.