Video shows Philiadelphia police beating and kicking a suspect in a car theft and police shooting. Police say he resisted. Philadelphia police were videotaped Wednesday beating and kicking a suspect who engaged in a chase and a shootout with officers. Another videotape released Wednesday showed police in Lawrenceville, Ga., punching and kicking a drunken driving suspect. There's no concrete definition of excessive force.
Police have to use force to subdue suspects every day.
There are some moves, like choke holds, that are altogether barred in certain jurisdictions. Very few incidents of force result in charges of excessive force, says Henriquez. That's only .44 percent of force being considered excessive, he says. But Alison Collins, who wrote a report on police brutality in the U.S. for the group Human Rights Watch, has different numbers. It's generally up to cops to weigh whether they're being threatened, whether bystanders are being threatened, and what force the suspect is using to resist arrest, experts said.