Title
Calling on the General Assembly to prohibit the use of deadly force to make a citizen's arrest.
Body
WHEREAS, Citizen's arrest law is a vestige of a bygone era, before the advent of professional policing, and now detract far more from public safety than they contribute; and
WHEREAS, All 50 states have citizen's arrest statute, enacted during a time when professional police forces were not ubiquitous and the 911 dispatch system was not yet established; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's citizen's arrest statute broadly mirrors the statute governing arrest by a law enforcement officer. Accordingly, citizens are allowed to use the same amount of force, including deadly force, as a peace officer in making an arrest; and
WHEREAS, The United States has over 18,000 police agencies, and Pennsylvania has more police agencies than any other state, with 1,117. Those police officers receive extensive training. Indeed, sworn officers in Philadelphia receive 30 weeks of training before receiving their first assignment. Accordingly, law enforcement officers are substantially better qualified to make an arrest than a typical citizen; and
WHEREAS, Firearms have proliferated in the United States. There are nearly 400 million firearms under civilian ownership in the United States, more than one per person. At the same time, firearms possession and carry laws in most states have been dramatically loosened. Just last month, the General Assembly passed a bill eliminating most limitations on public carry of firearms in Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS; As more citizens carry firearms in public, the likelihood that a citizen's arrest escalates into a fatal encounter is significantly greater. Moreover, if a firearm is used in the course of a citizen's arrest, there is a possibility of injury or death of a bystander, particularly in densely populated areas such as Philadelphia. Furthermore, a law enforcement officer responding to a call may have trouble differentiating an armed citizen at...
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