holstered weapons as an additional force presence.

And at that point, the father threatens to stab the baby.

Left with no other option, the main cover officer fires his sidearm. The sound of the shot is amplified within the small suite.

The officer's action in this case is an example of responding with the appropriate force option to stop an imminent threat of death or grievous bodily harm to the baby.

Hovbrender says the instructors in these lethal-force simulations ensure that the recruits learn about the application of critical force-re- sponse options involved in confronting situations that they will possibly face in real-world policing. Such situations are relatively rare but can occur at any point in any officer's career.

The Director points out that at the turn of the millennium, sixty- five Use of Force Subject Matter Experts from Canadian police agencies —including several experts from British Columbia—developed a consensus guideline itemizing the options police officers have in responding to a subject's behaviour. It resulted in the National Use of Force Framework (NUFF), later endorsed by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to help promote consistency in police response across the country.

Today, says Staff Sergeant Joel Johnston, the B.C. Use of Force Coor- dinator, “every police agency in Canada, using the framework as a guide,

is using a similar approach.” Among the principles underlying the NUFF In. tea cuiavars on the model are: “The primary responsibility of a peace officer is to preserve and New vYesiminster protect life; the primary objective of any use of force is to ensure public safety; campus, students police officer safety is essential to public safety; the National Use of Force role-play ia staged Framework does not replace or augment the law—the law speaks for itself” dramas, often using

As Staff Sergeant Johnston explains, “The NUFF and its derivative aciors es ojjeliagrs. 142 models do not demonstrate that police officers have to work through a iechnicues of arrest ranked order of response options. Instead these models seek to indicate anu otiver skills learived the profiles of subject behaviours, the response options that are available to ia ovactioe!, neids-or police, having regard for the totality of the situation, including the percep- sitiedions ‘ill prepare tions of the officers involved. These models demonstrate that police officers tham to coapfont nitty should move directly to the most appropriate response option(s) based real life ca tha streets.

upon the total situation and the assessment of the risk they perceive.’

The Police Academy instructs with the National Use of Force Frame- work and its guiding principles in the classroom and in reality-based train- ing—vividly dramatized in the scenario enacted with the deranged father holding his baby hostage.