When a law enforcement officer uses force on a subject, they will be classified into one of three main categories which are justifiable, excessive, and deadly force. Authority for the use of force by law enforcement officers is derived from the United States Constitution (case law), state statutes, and department policy. The use of force by law enforcement is very important because it involves the street cop, the correctional officer in jails and prisons, and the courts where cases of excessive use of force take place. Often, while attempting to make an arrest, a law enforcement officer will have to resort to the appropriate use of force to make the arrest. In some cases the appropriate use of force for some officers will be as simple as physically escorting the subject away from the area and handcuffing them. For others it will be a more serious use of force, classified as deadly force and will involve the officer discharging his firearm at the subject to protect his life or the life of another. Some news reports portray law enforcement officers as consistently using force on subjects. . The Rodney King case received worldwide attention in 1991 when news broadcasts showed a video of King being repeatedly struck by Los Angeles police officers using batons. More recently news videos of police use of force have involved police and occupied Wall Street protesters. If society based its opinion of police use of force only on what it saw on the news, it would assume that the majority of law enforcement officers are using force, however, static data shows that “Among all calls for service, force was used by police less than 1% of the time, according to a study that examined police we… middle of paper… courts found that the amount of force used was justified. Some officers may not be able to demonstrate that their actions were justified and could be found guilty of excessive use of force and held liable for civil and criminal charges. Courts have also become involved in police use of force by passing case law that applies to all law enforcement officers across the nation. Works Cited Cole, G. F., & Smith, C. E. (2010). The American criminal justice system. (12th ed.). Wadsworth Pub Co. Fla. Statistics. § 776.05 (2011) Fla. Statistics. § 776.06 (2011) Graham v. Connor, 490 US 386 1989 Illinois v. Gates, 462 US 213 1983 International Association of Chiefs of Police. (2001). National Institute of Justice. Retrieved June 12, 2011, from Statistics on the Use of Force: https://www.ncjrs.gov/app/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=197636Tennessee v. Garner, 471 USA. 1 1985