Editing Deadly force (section)

=== Situational threats === 
There are two main types of critical threats a suspect may pose: 1) escape and 2) physical harm. The latter threat involves a threat of violence, bodily harm, and/or death. If the suspect threatens to harm civilians and/or officers, then those officers must act to protect themselves and the public. In such a scenario, the perception of the officer(s) is critical. If there is a realistically perceived threat (i.e., the suspect is putting lives in danger), then officers may take the life of the suspect in order to protect themselves and the public. However, these situations can become complicated if the threat is not perceived as 'genuine', or if the suspect is in a location in which the use of deadly force to subdue the suspect may place other innocent bystander lives in danger. <ref> Alpert, Geoffrey P., Smith, William C., (1994) How Reasonable is the Reasonable Man. ''Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology''. 85(2), 481-501. </ref>