ROANOKE, Va. – Use of force incidents are on the rise in Roanoke city, according to a new report by police.
10 News sat down with officers to learn more about their policies.
“It’s my last answer,” John Smith, Roanoke city police instructor and investigator said. “It’s a last resort option.”
The department’s report shows last year, officers used force against people in 323 situations, up from 241 in 2022 and 225 in 2021.
However, officers didn’t use force in 99.7% of their interactions with residents.
Police said ‘use of force’ can look very different, from using your hands to successfully handcuff someone who is resisting, to more serious options.
“It’s completely dependent on a subject’s actions,” Smith said. “When we deem it necessary to control the situation, we’re going to grab whatever type of force we need to quickly and safely control the situation.”
There were over a dozen different force types used over this past year, but less than one percent involved firing a handgun.
One of those incidents was near Melrose Towers last December when Officer Lauren Camper was shot and seriously injured.
Smith said anytime use of force is used it can leave a lasting impact.
“Psychologically, it can affect both the suspect and the officer because they always want to do the right thing,” Smith said. “No officer wakes up wanting to use force.”
Smith said police have over 120 hours of defensive tactic training and use of force is included in that. This year, the agency is implementing even more de-escalation training.