The Attorney General’s Office reviews all incidents in which a law enforcement officer is involved in a shooting or other use of deadly force. Since 1997 the Office has reviewed several cases, all of which involved discharge of a firearm by an officer. Every case is thoroughly reviewed to determine whether the use of deadly force was legally justified. The legal standard of review for use of deadly force is whether the officer reasonably believed that he or a third party was in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury and that deadly force was an appropriate response to remove that threat.
Charity R. Clark
Office of the Vermont Attorney General