FCC Academic Catalog 2016-2017

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2016/2017 fcc catalog
4. College facilities may not be used for activities
which duplicate College classes, programs, or
activities which are in conflict with established
College objectives or policies.
5. All advertisements for any use of College
facilities must be submitted for approval by
the College to the Director of Marketing at
prior to the use of the
advertisement. The College reserves the right to
revoke the applicant’s approval to use its facilities
if the College, in its sole discretion, disapproves
of any advertisement or discovers that any non-
approved advertisement has occurred.
6. College officials may not be refused entry to
College facilities at any time.
7. Users of College facilities may not limit, restrict,
disrupt or in any way inhibit the normal
instructional programs of the College or other
College activities.
8. Users of College facilities may not tape or in
any way post signage to walls, doors, or other
painted surfaces. Permission must be granted by
the Facilities Planning Office prior to hanging of
any signage. Once permission is granted, signage
must be hung as directed and removed by the
user at the conclusion of the event.
9. The College reserves the right to approve or
refuse a request for facilities use that may or
may not be directly addressed in this Policy and
Procedures.
Use of Force
Frederick Community College recognizes and
respects the value and special integrity of each
human life. In vesting its security officers with the
authority to use physical force to protect the public
welfare, a careful balancing of all human interests
is required. Therefore, it is the policy of Frederick
Community College (FCC) that security officers will
use force only to accomplish lawful objectives and
will use only the minimum amount of force required
to accomplish those lawful objectives.
Procedure
A. Purpose
The purpose of this Policy is to provide Frederick
Community College (FCC) security officers with
guidelines on the appropriate use of force in the
performance of the duties.
B. Definitions
1. Appropriate Force: The amount of force which
a reasonable, trained security officer would apply
in order to obtain the compliance of a resisting
individual. Appropriate force must be proportional
with the actual or imminent threat posed.
2. Constructive Force: Includes a security officer’s
presence, verbal commands and directives.
3. Deadly Force: Physical force which has a
substantial risk that it will result in death or serious
physical injury.
4. Empty-Hand Control: Any weaponless control or
technique performed with empty or open hands,
such as control holds or the intentional moving
(pushing) of an uncooperative person, as well as,
instinctive weaponless control techniques used to
gain control of a resistant individual. Empty-Hand
Control does not include any strikes or active use of
personal weapons (feet, fists, elbows, knees, etc.) or
the mere application of handcuffs.
5. Excessive Force: Physical force that is
disproportionate to the actual or potential threat
posed by an individual. Excessive force exceeds
the amount of force that a reasonable and prudent,
trained security officer would employ under similar
circumstances.
6. Force: The amount of effort used by a security
officer to gain a resisting individual’s compliance.
This definition includes physical force and
constructive force.
7. Imminent: Likely to happen without delay or
immediately impending.
8. Light-Handed Control: Any minimal physical
hand contact used by a security officer to guide,
direct, or steer an individual in a given direction.
9. Non-Deadly Force: Physical force which by its
application is not intended to cause and/or has a
low probability of causing death or serious physical
injury.
10. Physical Force: Includes Light-Handed Controls
and Empty-Handed Controls.
11. Reasonable Belief: Is that which would cause
an ordinary and prudent person to act or think in
a similar way. The reasonableness of a decision
to use force, however, must viewed from the
perspective of the security officer on the scene,
who may often be forced to make split-second
decisions in circumstances that are tense,
unpredictable, and rapidly evolving.
12. Serious Physical Injury: An injury that causes
major disfigurement, sever tissue damages, broken
bones, damage to internal organs, or permanent
paralysis.
C. General
1. Use of Force Continuum
a. When the application of force is necessary,
security officers shall, to the extent possible,
utilize an escalating scale of options. The security
officer shall not employ a more forceful measure
unless it is determined that a lower level of force
would not be adequate, or unless such level is
attempted and actually found to be inadequate.
b. The use of force continuum of options, in order
of increasing severity is set forth below:
(1) Presence
(2) Verbal Commands and Directives
(3) Compliance-no use of physical force
necessary
(4) Non-compliance-assess action and necessity
(5) Light-Handed Control
(6) OC Spray
(7) Empty-Hand Controls
(8) Baton
c. Security officers shall de-escalate force
immediately when it is apparent that a lesser
level of force has become appropriate. A
security officer need not attempt to gain control
over an individual through the use of the
lowest level of force on the continuum when
circumstances dictate and the security officer
has reasonable belief that a higher level of force
is necessary. Likewise the skipping of steps
may be appropriate given the level of resistance
encountered. The continuum should be viewed
as a wheel and not a ladder or steps. A security
officer may immediately employ any level of
force on the continuum provided that the level
of force selected is reasonable and justified at the
time employed.
2. Authorization to Use Force
FCC security officers are authorized to use force,
in accordance with the requirements of this
procedure, which is reasonable and necessary to
accomplish the following lawful objectives.
a. When a security officer reasonably believes
the use of force is necessary to prevent serious
injury to an individual, the officer, or others,
including the use of physical force to defend
against the physical attack of another or to
defend a third party from the physical attack of
another.
b. To detain an individual when a serious crime
has been committed and the security officer
has a reasonable belief that the person being
detained committed the crime. Security officers
may detain such an individual long enough for
local law enforcement authorities to arrive and
take custody of the individual. Security officers
are further authorized to use physical force
to assist law enforcement authorities, when
necessary, in securing and maintaining control
of an arrestee once police have taken control of
the situation.
c. A supervisor shall respond to the scene of all
incidents where the use of force by a security
officer has been reported.