POLICY 300.5 DEADLY FORCE APPLICATIONS
Use of deadly force is justified in the following circumstances:
(a) An officer may use deadly force to protect him/herself or others from what he/she reasonably believes would be an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.
(b) An officer may use deadly force to stop a fleeing subject when the officer has probable cause to believe that the person has committed, or intends to commit, a felony involving the infliction or threatened infliction of serious bodily injury or death, and the officer reasonably believes that there is an imminent risk of serious bodily injury or death to any other person if the subject is not immediately apprehended. Under
such circumstances, a verbal warning should precede the use of deadly force, where feasible. Imminent does not mean immediate or instantaneous. An imminent danger may exist even if the suspect is not at that very moment pointing a weapon at someone.
For example, an imminent danger may exist if an officer reasonably believes any of the following:
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The person has a weapon or is attempting to access one and it is reasonable to believe the person intends to use it against the officer or another.
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The person is capable of causing serious bodily injury or death without a weapon and it is reasonable to believe the person intends to do so.
Renton Police Department Comments
This section of our policy mirrors Washington State law RCW 9A.16.040 - Use of Deadly Force by a Law Enforcement Officer, which states, “Under these circumstances deadly force may also be used if necessary to prevent escape from the officer, where, if feasible, some warning is given, provided the officer meets the good faith standard of this section.” Provided that it does not further endanger any person, our officers are trained to provide subjects with warnings that force may be used if they do not cease their dangerous or resistive actions.
Eight Can't Wait
Data proves that together these eight policies can decrease police violence by 72%