Upcoming Courses

FORCE DECISION-MAKING & ARTICULATION

1-Day Course – MN POST Credits: 7 Hours

The Force Decision-Making and Articulation course is intended for all police officers and supervisors in Minnesota.  The course builds a skillset for officers to make sound decisions related to the use of force and to articulate these decisions using the language of their agency policy and applicable law.

This is a 1-day course is approved for 7 Minnesota POST credits and satisfying Minnesota POST Use of Force mandatory learning objectives A, B, C, and K.

In May 2025 in Barnes v. Felix, the United States Supreme Court changed the landscape of Graham v. Connor.  No longer is objective reasonableness determined based on the facts present at the moment the force was used.  Now, officers must ensure that their actions leading up to the use of force were aligned with policy and law.

This course brings a groundbreaking new method of instruction where students will collectively observe scenarios in the classroom and work to apply federal law, Minnesota state statutes, and their own department policies to the totality of the circumstances they all observed.  Students will leave this course with a personally-compiled road map for use of force decision-making and report writing, customized and tailored to guide them to applicable statutes and their own agency policies for a variety of frequent call types that can potentially result in the use of force.

Participants will benefit from actual case studies across various investigation types including:

• Analyze the use of force using applicable legal standards.
• Analyze the use of force using applicable agency policy.
• Evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of de-escalation techniques and tactics.
• Evaluate the objective reasonableness and necessity of the use of force.
• Articulate critical thinking and decision-making related to the use of force.
• Evaluate the legal justification for the use of deadly force and alternatives to deadly force.
• Explain the effects of stress o physical and mental functioning.
• Explain use of force considerations related to vulnerable populations.
• Evaluate the duty to intervene and report upon witnessing another officer using prohibited force.
• Explain the duty to provide medical treatment following a use of force event.

WHAT TO BRING

• Pen and paper/notebook
• Laptop (preferred) or cell phone with access to agency policies and MN revisor.

FEATURED INSTRUCTOR:  Mark Hanneman, Sergeant, Minneapolis Police Department