Police debate their use of force

AUSTIN (KXAN) - How much force should police use when it comes to subduing or stopping a suspect? That is the subject of a special seminar hosted by the Austin Police Department. The Chiefs Invitational Police Seminar is held at the APD Training Academy several times during the year.

The seminars offer the community an opportunity to get information about how the police department operates and ask questions about procedures. At Wednesday’s seminar, APD personnel will address an issue that is always a hot topic: How officers deal with resistance while doing their jobs.

The Austin Police Department has come under fire over the years for their use of force. In November 2007, the department created a unit to look at use of force cases, which the Department of Justice was also investigating. The Department of Justice started to investigate APD after the famed Kevin Brown shooting outside Chesters nightclub in June.

In February, Detective Joseph Lorett was suspended for 10 days after video from another officer's car showed he kneed the suspect, who was facedown, in the head and used profane language. In May, Sgt. Keith Stoddard, a 20-year veteran, was suspended for three days without pay after using the PIT maneuver to stop a fleeing suspect along East Oltorf Street in December. The move involves bumping a fleeing vehicle in an attempt to cause it to spin out and stall.