In 2022 The Hercules Police Department responded to 22,953 Calls for Service which we were either dispatched to or were the result of self-initiated activity, such as a traffic stop.

Of those 22,953 calls for service, some level of force was applied to effect an arrest 8 times. During three of these incidents the WRAP restraint device was employed as well. Deployment of the WRAP restraint is collected as a separate use of force for tracking purposes so our data shows a total of 13 use of force incidents for the year. The WRAP Restraint is a device used to literally wrap the legs of someone who is physically resisting arrest. It resembles a heavy blanket with a series of belts, and is used on the legs and hips of the suspect. Shoulder and waist straps hold the device on once it is applied.

The 2022 numbers above show Hercules PD had to use some level of force to effect an arrest .0003% of the time we interacted with the public in a law enforcement capacity.

Control holds account for a majority of our use of force incidents. A control hold requires using some level of wrist or arm lock to prevent someone from resisting or escaping, but does not always rise to the level of using the WRAP restraint. A Control Hold does not include use of the Carotid Hold. As you can see from the chart Hercules PD did not use the Carotid Hold in 2022. Officers of this department are not authorized to use a carotid restraint hold.

Hercules PD has strict policies in place to track every use of force incident. Officers are required to submit a report detailing the use of force, which is then reviewed by their Supervisor and forwarded to the Patrol Division Commander. The Commander reviews the use of force to ensure it was applied within Department policy and current law. They also look for opportunities to avoid using force in similar scenarios in the future, and train to that level, as well as opportunities to de-escalate the situation before a use of force is required.

If a use of force appears to be outside of accepted Department Policy the Commander will initiate a more formal investigation into the incident and what led up to the use of force. If this investigation reveals the Officer violated Department policy an appropriate level of progressive discipline is imposed which could rise to the level of termination.

During 2022 all 13 incidents that required some level of force to be used were investigated and none were found to be in violation of Department policy.