Use of Force

Officers receive training prior to the deployment or use of any force or relevant equipment.

The UC system-wide Use of Force Policy (Chapter 8) updated on June 8, 2020, and UC San Diego Police Department policies 300-312 cover use of force options. Officers receive initial training before deploying any use of force or equipment. Officers receive refresher training on a quarterly, semi-annual, biannual or annual basis, depending on the type of force. All officers have been training on AB 392 - updated use of force.

UC San Diego Police document each use of force incident (per policy 300). We use BlueTeam software to generate a use of force report, which is routed to our use of force review team and command staff for review and approval.

Use of Force Data and Reporting

Effective January 1, 2016, all use of force incidents resulting in serious bodily injury, as defined by Government Code section 12525.2(d), discharge of a firearm, or death, must be reported to the Department of Justice. UCPD Policy 300.5.2 requires the reporting of all officer-involved shootings and use of force resulting in serious bodily injury per AB 71. In 2018 and 2019, no reportable incidents meet the aforementioned criteria.

The following data was compiled based on internal UC San Diego Police Department reporting requirements for officer use of force. Pursuant to policy (Interim Systemwide Use of Force Policy (rev. 1/5/21), section 802, force is defined as:

The application of physical force, chemical agents or weapons to another person. It is not a use of force when a subject allows themselves to be searched, escorted, handcuffed or restrained [emphasis added]. The mere application of a control hold while handcuffing a compliant subject without application of pain is not considered use of force and does not need to be reported.

Note: Based on the clarified definition of “force” above, 2017–2021 use of force statistics that included reporting solely of the use of a control hold (usually “wristlock”) were revised to reflect those incidents that are consistent with the definition of “force” above.

Carotid Restraint/Choke Hold

The "choke hold" has never been an approved UC San Diego Police Department tactic. All UC Police Departments eliminated the carotid restraint as a use of force option on June 8, 2020.

Body Cameras

All UC San Diego police officers currently wear body cameras. Currently, not lawful for anyone besides Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) certified police officers (sworn) to operate body-worn cameras [PC 633.02(b)]. See Body Worn Audio/Video Systems (Chapter 15)

Questions?

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