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Police Use Of Firearms In West Virginia--An Empirical Study, James R. Keegan

West Virginia Law Review

In its study of crime and law enforcement in the United States, the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice found it "surprising and alarming that few police departments provide their officers with careful instruction on the circumstances under which the use of a firearm is permissible." This failure on the part of police administrators leaves the uninformed patrolman, charged with the day to day duty of law enforcement, subject to civil and criminal liability for the wrongful use of his weapon. It also needlessly exposed the innocent bystander to death or grievous bodily harm. To discover the …