Use of Force Core Principles is a sixteen-hour course aimed at officers and detectives working in Washington State. Use of force is the biggest exposure law enforcement professionals face in today’s world. The course will cover current legal standards for using force, use of force decision making, use of force reporting, force reporting, critical analysis of force, tactics and duty to intervene. The material in the course is delivered via our expert professional presenter model to drive discussion and the processing of information to maximize student learning and retention.
Instructed by Tom Ovens. Tom has served as an expert witness for over twenty-two years and has testified in both State and Federal Court. He is a recognized expert in use of force, training, patrol work, police procedure, police supervision, patrol procedures, tactics, tactical operations, and investigations. Tom is a certified Force Analyst through the Force Science Institute and his work was featured in their news line. He is a retired police officer with over thirty years of service. Tom was most recently assigned to the Force Review Unit/Force Investigations Team, FRU/FIT, where he reviewed and conducted investigations in police use of force. Prior to working in the FRU, Tom worked in the Office of Police Accountability, OPA, where he was a Lieutenant and supervised investigations and investigated complaints of official misconduct.