VA – Use of Force: Leadership Decision-Making and Review

Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy
Use of Force: Leadership Decision-Making and Review
Instruction by: Lt. Kevin Dillon (Ret)
May 22-23, 2025

It was both an honor and a pleasure to present our Use of Force Analysis for Law Enforcement Leaders course at your agency on May 22-23, 2025. The training brought together officers from multiple law enforcement agencies from the surrounding areas, fostering a collaborative and engaging learning environment. 

The course was exceptionally well received, with all participants demonstrating enthusiasm, professionalism, and a strong commitment to the training. Their active participation greatly contributed to the success of the program. A review of the course evaluations revealed overwhelmingly positive feedback, reflecting the value and impact of the training.  I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to Mr. Robert Tokarchic, Training Coordinator, for his outstanding support and coordination. His dedication ensured a seamless experience for the attendees. 

What the attending students had to say!

Student Evaluation Summary

Use of Force: Leadership, Decision Making and Review
May 22-23, 2025

Please assess the quality of this presentation.
25 out of 26 evaluations collected rated this cate gory at the highest level of excellent, 1 rated it as 4 Very good.

Comments

•  The presentation was well organized, case studies beneficial.
• He was very engaging and enthusiastic.
• Good information specific to policy language. Use of force versus response to threats or resistance.
• Very professional!
• First saw KD at the use of force summit this past December. Was glad to get 2 days of his knowledge and material.
• Fascinating content, well researched. Material went beyond theoretical, into practical application.
• Great instructor. Passionate about the material. Knows what he is talking about in how to make the information stick.
• The most engaging instructor for any class I’ve taken in 15 years of law enforcement.
• Instructor was very dynamic and knowledgeable kept the class engaged.
• We deal with use of force weekly in corrections, finding different ways to break it down correctly for report writing and training.
• KD was one of the best presenters I’ve had. He didn’t just read a slideshow. You can tell he dedicated his life to teaching the material. He generally cares that the information benefits me and my officers. The course material seems to have immense value that I can refer back to his notes when evaluating and guiding my deputies.
• Lt. Dillon is an amazing instructor. He captivates the audience, elicits feedback provides life experience to back up the curriculum. He is by far the best instructor NVC JTA has to offer.
• Mr. Dillon is obviously knowledgeable, well read and excels at his content delivery.
• The instructor was very animated, informative and very detailed.
• The presentation was very informative, easy to understand and easy to follow/read.
• Great presentation learned a few good things looking to change our use of force review and start keeping better stats.
• Was good, only wish we went over more about interviews of the use of force officers.
• The presenter was very knowledgeable and used real life examples to drive home his point. The videos used were extremely helpful to connect with the topics being presented. Presenter was patient and took the time to respond to students’ questions.
• Excellent presentation, provided with lots of information in a different aspect on why sometimes officers get in the use of force.
• Excellent, up to date info is very good.
• Provided me with several concepts to think about when conducting use of force investigation reminders that video is not the perception of the officer, consensual use of force, and dispatch priming are good points to reflect upon.
• This was excellent. I found the videos on the response to resistance were beneficial. While I had seen many of them because they were recent and newsworthy I had not heard a breakdown like this before. For example, the subject of being chased and tased in the roadway, I never noticed or heard ???? about looking at the laser being targeted while running. Definitely something most of us overlook.
• Good energy clearly knowledgeable good class engagement encourages participation.
• Really enjoyed the presentation, I did find the PowerPoint difficult to follow in the handout. I enjoyed and found useful when you talked about the sympathetic versus parasympathetic systems. As well as your thoughts on decisive versus countermeasures.
• Presentation seemed to be pressed into a time constraint. I understand we could have talked for weeks. Should this be a week?

Please assess the instructors of this program. Lt. Kevin F. Dillon (Ret)
25 out of 26 evaluations collected rated this cate gory at the highest level of excellent, 1 rated it as 4 Very good.
Comments

• Instructor is extremely knowledgeable
• He is brilliant teaching this class and using real life experiences, videos and slides.
• Good instructor, engaging, encourage class participation.
• Top notch
• Very dynamic speaker keeps the class engaged and very clearly knowledgeable on the topic.
• Instructor was very dynamic. I respect and enjoyed the instructor’s passion, very engaging.
• Energetic, engaging, every instructor should strive to be as knowledgeable and perspective field.’
• Extremely knowledgeable. Gave many tidbits on things that should change with police departments and with training and investigations.
• A lot of knowledge, he is very informative and passionate about his subject very good instructor.
• The instructor did an amazing review at the end.
• Dillon has related many methods and procedural aspects to consider and or implement within our agency.
• His program was an eye opener. Words matter in articulation is very important.
• Great program
• Encouraged class participation from students, patient and professional, knowledgeable in tons of life experience, visual aids and PowerPoint slides were well organized.
• Instructor was excellent. Knowledgeable and passionate about the material.
• Please bring him back.
• I appreciate the knowledge and expertise in humility.
• KD was great. High energy and knowledgeable.
• KD is knowledgeable and animated. Keeps everyone’s attention excellently.

 Please explain how this training will enable you to change or improve your present assignment.
Comments

• Work on interleaving instead of block training needs assessment and review effectiveness of techniques.
• I will use a lot of the new things I’ve learned on a daily basis while working or even off duty.
• I write policies, this will provide another light to view policy verbiage and specifics.
• Excellent material for my job in reviewing use of force incidents on a daily basis. Great info on explaining the why of force encounters and biology of the brain.
• I’m an internal affairs Bureau in reviewing use of force incidents. I’ve taken many things learned from KD’s presentations from this past December and implement them in my reviews. I plan to do the same with this material.
• The course gave new insights in a firm knowledge of the psychophysiological aspects of use of force situations. Instructor did a great job reframing words, so they are more powerful.
• I appreciated the instructor referencing emotional survival in law enforcement by Dr. Kevin Gilmartin and expressing the importance of officer wellness. Excellent emphasis on training with EMS during encounters with someone in an altered mental state.
• The changing use of force forms to response to resistance, when conducting I as I learned to look at the investigation from different perspectives and to have them reflect the incidence backwards.
• What did the officer perceive during the incident, change use of force form to response to resistance and aggression, perception becomes an illusion to combat the perception is reality saying.
• Taking this information back to my squad, keynotes to refer back to for my investigations. Working with my squad for more de-escalation classes.
• This gives me better understanding on how to evaluate a use of force situation after the fact. But it also gives the information to give to my deputies so they can better be prepared for their use of force situations.
• As a DT’s lead instructor, this information is vital in the shaping of our program. Lieutenant Dillon explains how important tracking is, how important it is to understand how a person thinks to judge use of force based on officers perception and stress response. Will increase my overall thought of how to increase use of force concepts in an analysis tracking.
• As a Sergeant in the detention facility, I find this course very important and informative
• this training has given me some great templates in frame work to implement at my department. Also some great metrics to track training success
• I need to change our use of force review to keep better stats. Also change the name of our report itself.
• Better manage use of force incidents. Improve on report writing with response to resistance incidents,
• Improve my thought process and prepare for training and pay it forward to my staff.
• Refresher for promotion or change of assignment.
• Not jumping to the BCW to judge what happened, reading the reports to get the officers’ perception first.
• Good breakdown of the hidden part, Physiology one of the items that needs to be stressed way more in training
• As a patrol supervisor it will give me a better insight when reviewing my squad’s use of force. OIS reviews and directs my command staff towards the proper issues rather than selective bias in these situation. Will help managing officers involved in critical incidents. Learned the proper terminology to explain what occurs to officers in these situations.

Course Synopsis:
In today’s environment, every use of force incident is subject to intense scrutiny, often analyzed frame by frame and judged by individuals lacking proper training. This has led to increased distrust and the spread of false narratives. The analysis, investigation, and training of police use of force remain complex and continually evolving challenges.

This 2-day training session is specifically designed for police leaders who review, internal affairs investigators who determine and trainers who are instructing use of force incidents. Do you have any additional updated specialized training in use of force analysis? Through lectures, case studies, and demonstrations, this course provides actionable insights and proven strategies to navigate the challenges of modern use of force incidents.
“One improper technique can change a county.”

Course Objectives
1. Discuss define the legal applications of use of force.
2. Identify and explain the legal statutes governing use of force.
3. Discuss the three components of Graham v. Connor (490 U.S. 386, 397) and their application to use-of-force situations.
4. Explain the legal standards for applying non-deadly force to achieve physical control and restraint.
5. Analyze Kingsley v. Hendrickson (576 U.S. 389, 2015) and its seven objective considerations regarding use of force.
6. Define the “objective reasonableness” standard and interpret its application in Tennessee v. Garner (471 U.S. 1, 11).
7. Describe the psycho-physiological dynamics of violent encounters and their impact on close-quarters engagements.
8. Discuss and identify Myths vs. facts in use of force assessments
9. Analyze use-of-force incidents by examining the quality, frequency, and timeliness of force application.
10. Discuss risk management strategies for physical engagements to ensure safety, efficiency, and accountability.
11. Implement early intervention tracking systems for identifying patterns and practices in use-of-force incidents.
12. Learn to quantify force mitigation tactics and de-escalation efforts to identify patterns of proficiency.
13. Develop effective response strategies for special populations, including individuals with mental illness, disabilities, or other unique needs.
14. Identify and apply the five key steps to reviewing use-of-force incidents.
15. Analyze how inaccurate policies are incorporated into case law and discuss strategies to prevent such occurrences.
16. Understand how to avoid incidents similar to Eric Garner or George Floyd through use of force analysis to identify contextual needs.
17. Evaluate the steps necessary to identify foreseeable incidents and mitigate risks before they occur.
18. Define and categorize sixteen key terms related to police use of force to ensure clarity and consistency in reporting and training.
19. Discuss the human performance factors that impact decision-making and actions under high-stress encounters.
20. Learn what to track in police use-of-force reports to ensure accuracy and actionable insights.
21. Learn the anatomy of a police takedown and grounding techniques for investigative purposes.
22. Debunk myths surrounding prone restraint and sudden in-custody deaths and explore evidence-based strategies to prevent them.
23. Develop coordination and effective engagement strategies for multiple-officer encounters.
24. Recognize the importance of training measurements and performance evaluations, emphasizing the principle: “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”
25. Address the challenges and best practices for video recording in use-of-force situations, including its role in reporting and investigations.
26. Gain actionable insights on the tracking, trending, and analysis of use-of-force incidents to improve accountability and performance.
27. Plus more.

HOST  CONTAC T – Robert J. Tokarchic  – Email rtokarchic@nvcja.org>

Your lectures and training sessions have evolved over the years to now include a totality of law enforcement experiences in actual physical confrontations at the street level where Human Dynamics, Psychomotor Skills, and Physiology Factors are involved in decision-making for our law enforcement officers, and gives us a better understanding on WHY? law enforcement officers engage in physical force.

Many times, I have to attest to my training in front of judges to qualify as an expert-witness in criminal litigation against law enforcement officers, where government attorneys attempt to get me disqualified. Just recently, a Federal District Court judge in Washington DC questioned me on my expertise and training I received, I immediately through your name out to the judge and continued to explain your training, knowledge and expertise in this field. That your training instruction has developed over the years to be more inclusive dealing with physical confrontations of law enforcement officers, as well as the human factors we go through in physical confrontations. The judge was impressed, and I did get qualified as an expert-witness.

Trevor R. Hewick – Retired MPDC Detective Grade