When a law enforcement officer uses force on a subject, he will be classified into one of three main categories which are the justifiable, excessive and deadly force. The authority of law enforcement officers to use force comes from the United States Constitution (case law), state laws, and department policy. The use of force by law enforcement is very important because it involves the patrolman on the street, the corrections officer in the 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 need to use appropriate force to make the arrest. In some cases, the appropriate use of force for certain officers will be as simple as the officer physically escorting the subject away from the area and placing the subject in handcuffs. For others, it will be a more serious use of force, classified as deadly force, and it will involve the officer discharging their firearm at the subject to protect their life or the life of others. Some news programs portray law enforcement officers as constantly using force on subjects. . The Rodney King case in 1991 gained worldwide attention when news programs showed video of King being repeatedly beaten by Los Angeles police officers using batons. More recently, news videos about police use of force have implicated police and Occupy Wall Street protesters. If society based its opinion on police use of force solely based on what it saw on the news, it would assume that the majority of law enforcement officers use force. However, statistics show that "of all calls for service, force was used by police officers." police in less than 1 percent of the time, according to a study examining police, we...... middle of paper ...... courts, that the force they used was justified. Some officers may not be able to prove that their actions were justified and they may be found guilty of using excessive force and held liable for civil and criminal charges. The courts have also become involved in police use of force by passing laws that apply to all law enforcement officers across the country. Works Cited Cole, GF and Smith, CE (2010). The American criminal justice system. (12th ed.). Wadsworth Pub Co. Fla. Stat. § 776.05 (2011) Florida. Stat. § 776.06 (2011)Graham v. Connor, 490 US 386 1989Illinois v. Gates, 462 US 213 1983International 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 US. 1 1985