On 8/18/2022 10:03 PM, RichD wrote:
At a bus station yesterday, I saw a security guard,
an employee of a private contractor. He wore a
uniform, with a belt full of gadgets, including a baton,
two foot long, heavy.
In what circumstances is he authorized to use it?
My guess is that he is allowed to use it under the same circumstances as anybody else: to defend himself or another person against violence.
If he makes a citizen's arrest (e.g., for shoplifting or vandalism), he
can also use force to make the arrest, but usually not deadly force.
That would make using the baton iffy at best.
Because of the different standards of proof between criminal courts and
civil suits, it might be possible for the guard to be found innocent of assault/battery, but end up with a money judgment against him for what
he did to the person he used one of those gadgets against. Then again,
his employer (or the employer's insurance) would probably end up paying
the judgment, and the guard might get fired.
--
I do so have a memory. It's backed up on DVD... somewhere...
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