When Police Use Force
NRS 171.1455 — de-escalation whenever possible, objectively reasonable force, and deadly force only on narrow probable cause
A Nevada peace officer uses de-escalation techniques and alternatives to force whenever possible or appropriate and consistent with training, such as advisements, warnings and verbal persuasion.
- Identify as a peace officer, by voice, a marked uniform or vehicle, or other reasonable means, if it can be done safely.
- Use only the level of force objectively reasonable under the circumstances to bring the incident or person under control and accomplish a lawful purpose.
- Balance the force, as far as feasible, against the force or resistance the person shows, and keep it carefully controlled.
Those apply when force is necessary.
Deadly force to arrest. After a warning if feasible, an officer may use deadly force to make an arrest only with probable cause to believe the person committed a felony involving the infliction or threat of serious bodily harm or the use of deadly force, or poses an imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death to the officer or others.
Each agency adopts a written policy and trains officers on people known or reasonably believed to be unarmed who are under 13, over 70, physically frail, disabled, pregnant, in a mental or behavioral health crisis, or in a medical emergency.
Justifiable homicide by an officer, and the civil remedies for excessive force, are in other sections and other law not reproduced here. Whether force in a particular encounter was lawful is a question for a court and a licensed Nevada attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- NRS 171.1455 — Use of deadly force to effect arrest: Limitations
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Nevada attorney.