4.2 Objectively Reasonable Force, Restraint & Force Options
Key Takeaways
- Objectively reasonable force asks whether another reasonable guard with the same facts at the same moment would find the force appropriate — not whether you felt sincere fear
- Use only the force needed under the totality of circumstances; stop when control is achieved
- Force options typically progress presence → verbal → soft control → hard control → deadly force only if lawful necessity exists
- Restraint techniques carry medical risks — including positional asphyxia — so avoid prolonged prone pressure, watch breathing, and roll to recovery when safe
- For unarmed guards, deadly force is extremely limited; property crimes and fleeing theft almost never justify it
4.2 Objectively Reasonable Force, Restraint & Force Options
Quick Answer: Force is judged by an objectively reasonable standard: would another reasonable security guard, facing the same facts known at that moment, find the force appropriate? Use the lowest effective option on the continuum — presence, verbal commands, soft control, hard control, and deadly force only if lawful necessity exists. Restraint techniques can kill through positional asphyxia; never treat a hold as “safe” just because it is familiar. Unarmed guards almost never have a lawful path to deadly force.
Objectively Reasonable Standard (AUF Topic 2)
The BSIS Manual states the goal of force is to gain and maintain control of a person and situation. Security personnel must:
- Use force that is objectively reasonable under the totality of the circumstances
- Use only the force reasonably necessary to accomplish a lawful purpose
- Continuously reassess — reasonableness is not a one-time snapshot if the threat changes
Totality of the circumstances includes factors such as:
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Severity of the threat / crime | Shoplifting vs. active assault changes available force |
| Immediacy of the threat | Speculative future harm ≠ imminent harm |
| Subject’s size, skills, weapons, impairment | Capacity to injure affects options |
| Number of subjects vs. guards | Disparity of force |
| Environment | Crowds, stairs, vehicles, confined rooms |
| Known disabilities / behavioral health cues | May require more time, distance, and communication |
| Availability of backup / law enforcement | Delay may be safer than escalation |
| Your training and authorized tools | You cannot invent tools your policy forbids |
The test is not “Did I feel afraid?” A sincere but unreasonable belief fails. The Manual stresses that a simple statement of fear is not enough — objective factors must justify concern. Video, witnesses, and your written report will be compared against what a reasonable peer would have done.
Known at the time matters. Information discovered later (for example, the subject was unarmed) does not make reasonable force unreasonable if the facts then available supported the decision — and conversely, you cannot justify force with facts you only learned afterward.
Force Options Continuum
Think of force options as a ladder you climb only as far as needed — and climb back down when the threat drops. Exact labels vary by PPO, but AUF training expects fluency with this progression:
| Option level | Examples | Typical purpose | Common errors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Presence | Uniform, marked posture, tactical positioning | Deter and observe | Ignoring presence when it would resolve the issue |
| 2. Verbal | Clear commands, de-escalation, warnings | Gain voluntary compliance | Vague yelling; talking over a subject in crisis |
| 3. Soft control | Escort holds, wrist/control holds within training, guiding contact | Direct movement with minimal injury risk | Using holds as punishment; untrained joint locks |
| 4. Hard control | Strikes/defensive tactics only if trained & authorized; higher-level empty-hand defense | Stop assaultive behavior | Continuing strikes after compliance |
| 5. Deadly force | Force likely to cause death or serious bodily injury | Only against imminent death/SBI threat when lawful | Using deadly force for property or fleeing theft |
Key teaching point: the continuum is not a mandatory staircase you must climb in order when a higher threat appears suddenly. If an imminent deadly assault starts at Level 5 necessity, you do not “owe” the subject unused Level 2 commands. Equally important: if you are at Level 4 and the subject complies, you must de-escalate immediately.
Restraint Techniques and Their Implications
AUF Topic 2 requires understanding restraint implications — especially medical risk. Teaching-level points every candidate must know:
Positional asphyxia (awareness level)
Positional asphyxia occurs when body position interferes with breathing enough to cause injury or death. Risk rises when a subject is:
- Held prone (face-down) with weight on the back, neck, or torso
- Obese, intoxicated, or in excited delirium / extreme agitation
- Hog-tied or restrained with legs and arms behind in a way that restricts chest expansion
- Left unmonitored after a struggle
Guard responsibilities at the teaching level:
- Prefer positions that allow the chest to expand once control is gained.
- Avoid prolonged pressure on the back/neck; get off the torso when safe.
- Monitor breathing and responsiveness continuously.
- Roll to a recovery / side / seated position as soon as reasonably safe.
- Call medical aid for labored breathing, unresponsiveness, or cyanosis.
- Never use restraint as revenge or “teaching a lesson.”
Chokeholds, neck restraints, and untrained compression techniques are commonly prohibited by modern PPO policies and create extreme criminal exposure if they cause death.
Other restraint implications
- Soft-tissue injury and fractures from improper joint manipulation
- Psychological escalation — painful compliance techniques can worsen behavioral-health crises
- Crowd optics and video — what looks like “control” on body-worn or phone video may look like a beating
- False imprisonment claims if the detention itself was unlawful even when the hold was “technically correct”
Deadly Force — Extremely Limited for Unarmed Guards
Unarmed Guard Card holders do not suddenly gain firearm authority. Deadly force means any force creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury — including improvised weapons, vehicle use, or head trauma strikes. For California private security:
- Deadly force is generally limited to defending against imminent death or serious bodily injury to yourself or another person.
- You shall not use deadly force based solely on a person’s danger to themselves if a reasonable person would believe they do not pose an imminent deadly threat to others (Manual principle).
- Property protection, preventing escape with stolen goods, or “sending a message” never justifies deadly force.
- If you lack a BSIS Firearms Permit, do not introduce a firearm into the encounter.
Real-Life Scenario Walkthroughs
Scenario A — Lobby shove (soft control)
Facts: Agitated visitor pushes a clerk once, then stands yelling. No weapon. Policy allows defensive soft control to separate and protect.
Reasonable path: Command presence + loud verbal (“Stop — step back”), create distance, soft escort to separate if the assault continues, call police/supervisor. Hard strikes are usually unreasonable after a single shove with no continuing attack.
Scenario B — Active assault with a bottle (hard control / defense)
Facts: Subject swings a glass bottle at your head. Imminent SBI.
Reasonable path: Defend immediately with trained hard-control/defensive tactics, disengage to cover if possible, call 911. You are not required to try a polite Level 2 speech while a bottle is mid-swing. Stop when the assaultive threat ends; do not chase to punish.
Scenario C — Prone restraint after handcuffing by arriving police
Facts: You helped hold a resisting trespasser prone until officers arrive. Subject goes quiet.
Reasonable path: Announce breathing status, reduce torso pressure, assist officers in moving the subject to a recovery position, request medical evaluation if the struggle was intense. Leaving a silent subject face-down under weight is a classic positional-asphyxia failure.
Scenario D — Fleeing shoplifter (property)
Facts: Teen runs with merchandise; no weapon; no assault.
Reasonable path for many posts: observe, describe, report. Physical tackle that causes injury is often unreasonable and against observe-and-report policies. Deadly force is never justified here.
Articulation Practice
After any force, your report should answer: What did I see/hear? What was the imminent threat? What options did I consider? Why was the chosen option reasonable? When did I stop? Who was notified? Poor articulation turns a close call into a career-ending incident.
Under the objectively reasonable standard taught in BSIS AUF training, force is evaluated primarily by asking:
Which sequence best reflects a typical force-options continuum for California security training?
After a struggle, a subject is face-down and quiet with a guard’s weight still on the torso. What is the primary teaching-level risk and correct response?
An unarmed California security guard sees a shoplifter running away with a cart of merchandise and no weapon. Which force decision is most consistent with AUF legal standards?