Opinion ID: 182572
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Handbook

Text: At all relevant times, the BIA Office of Law Enforcement Services' Law Enforcement Handbook (Handbook) governed S/A Robertson's conduct. The Handbook recognizes: Officers may be confronted with situations where control must be exercised to effect arrests, overcome physical resistance, and neutralize assaults. Control may be achieved through persuasion, verbal warnings, implied or threatened use of force, or by the use of physical force. There are varying degrees of physical force that may be justified depending on the dynamics of the situation. The Handbook authorizes officers to use only the level of physical force which is necessary, reasonable and appropriate for achieving the desired legal objective and tasks officers with the responsibility for assessing each situation and using only the levels of control or physical force which are necessary, reasonable and appropriate  under the circumstances. The Handbook also states, Officers employ the use of control or physical force at the lowest level deemed necessary to achieve the objective. The Handbook establishes guidelines for contact with civilians, victims, suspects, arrestees, and prisoners. With respect to the use of restraint devices, the Handbook specifically provides: The responsibility of an officer for the safe custody of his prisoner permits some discretion in the use of handcuffs and restraining devices. The [BIA] requires officers to exercise safety awareness by carefully restraining most prisoners who must be transported to a jail or other location.