Every incident and confrontation has a different set of circumstances and variables. Guidelines are just that; they provide general outlines and parameters for actions. In the US, we place a tremendous amount of trust in our officers and provide them with a great deal of latitude to make judgements. This is proper. Situations involving an officer confronting a suspect who may pose a mortal threat to that officer or other citizens are really not the time to consult a checklist of allowable actions. These are times where judgement, knowledge, and training come to the fore.

Two of the key elements of a successful police department are selection and training. By addressing these areas with sufficient resources and an awareness of contemporary best practices, a lot of down-stream problems are mitigated. Of course General Orders and approved procedures are necessary but it's the foundation of first-class training and regular re-training that turns these words into behaviors and actions.