| The issue of police use of deadly force has received prominent
news coverage over the last several years. In the city of Boston, for
example, a group of prominent African-American leaders called for an
investigation into five "deadly force killings" that occurred over a
nine-month period. Similarly, investigations into police use of deadly
force have taken place in Maine and Maryland. Though the police were
exonerated in many of these investigations, there are still questions of
whether they followed proper procedure. In light of these incidents, the
Supreme Court's decision in Tennessee v. Garner takes on a great deal of
importance in terms of evaluating whether the officers may be considered
blameless relative to these "deadly force killings." This paper will
examine the recent spate of police shootings within the context of Garner
where it will be suggested that police officers, and police departments, are
failing to heed the Supreme Court's admonition that law enforcement
practices will not be hampered by using measures less drastic than "deadly
force" when attempting to apprehend unarmed, fleeing suspects.
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Updated 05/20/2006