Use of Force Report Writing hosted by Somersworth NH PD

Designed for Patrol Officers and Supervisors to give them a comprehensive and practical guide on police Use of Force Report Writing. Regardless of the amount of force used, a successful use of force often does not end at the conclusion of the “event." It ends later on after the incident has been reviewed, the court case is disposed of and any potential civil litigation is put to rest.

The priority of the event is always officer survival, however, with the climate being what it is in 2021, public perception and courtroom survival are also priorities. Most often, the direction that a use of force investigation goes in is directly related to the use of force documentation.

This course will focus on understanding the Use of Force Model in its entirety as well as:

• The “Totality Triangle” and “Painting the Picture"
• Understanding differences between "Facts vs Conclusions" and "Use of Force vs Non-Compliance"
• Use or non-use of viewing video footage
• Conducting Use of Force / Non-Compliance Investigations and Evidence Gathering
• Documenting ICAT (Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics) or de-escalation of the event using the 5 W's and 1 H
• Simple tips for proofreading
• Understanding the difference between "Tactics" and “Clearly Established Case Law”
• An officer’s “Duty to intervene”

Instructors:

Off. Chuck DiChiara is a 33 year veteran of Law Enforcement, as well as a Level IV Defensive Tactics Instructor and Level III Firearms Instructor. He is a Master Instructor with the Safariland Training Group and Taser (Axon) and currently sits on the Advisory Board for the Safariland-Monadnock Training Group. He is a court qualified expert witness in District, Superior and Federal Court in the areas of Police Use of Force and Deadly Force.

Lt. Joseph Thibodeau is currently in his 32nd year of Law Enforcement. Joe is a level IV Report Writing Instructor/Coordinator for the MA Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC). He has been instructing at numerous police academies and privately since 2000. He has trained thousands of reserve, recruit and veteran officers as well as supervisors in numerous disciplines to include FTO, Report Writing, Suicide Prevention, Arrest and Processing and Communication. He is considered a subject matter expert in Report Writing.