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Use of Lethal Force by Federal Officers

The use of lethal force by federal officers is assessed under the Fourth Amendment's objective reasonableness framework, with courts considering the totality of circumstances and the officer's reasonable belief about the threat posed by the suspect.

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Jan 12, 2026
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How have courts interpreted the ‘reasonable belief’ standard for federal officers in lethal-force civil-rights lawsuits?

Federal courts assess federal officers’ use of lethal force under the Fourth Amendment’s objective “reasonableness” framework from Graham v. Connor, which instructs judges and juries to evaluate wheth...

Jan 22, 2026
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How do DHS and ICE define ‘imminent threat’ in their use‑of‑force policies and how has that been applied in practice?

DHS and define “” for deadly force as a judgment that a subject poses an immediate risk of death or serious bodily injury to the officer or another person — a “reasonable belief” standard grounded in ...