RALEIGH, N.C. –The Campbell Law School Federalist Society hosted a discussion on the use of deadly force by police on Monday, March 12. Ethics and Justice Center Director Jack Kress led the discussion, implementing an interactive presentation with audience participation throughout the showing of a vintage New York City police training film.
“These students are going to become lawyers, and some of them will work in law enforcement as prosecutors and defense attorneys,” said Kress. “They need to understand the real-life feel and implications of the situations that they will be having discussions about.”
Audience members watched the film from the perspective of an on-duty police officer. As scenes unfolded, participants were instructed to indicate when and if they would draw and / or fire their weapons. Throughout and following each scene, extensive conversation and debate was held regarding the reasoning for drawing or using a firearm for protection.
Each scene of the film portrayed a real-life situation in which a police officer had been killed.
“These are split-second life and death situations,” Kress. “Anybody who is going to be involved in the prosecution or defense of these situations needs this understanding and discussion.”
Kress has published more than 15 books and 70 articles on a variety of justice and ethics issues. Dubbed “the father of sentencing guidelines” by ABC News, Kress helped to establish sentencing guideline systems used by more than half of the states, and has worked extensively with Congress and the Department of Justice in bringing the United States Sentencing Commission into existence. He is an elected life member of the American Law Institute, and is a former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney. More recently, Kress’ work has focused ethics and bioethics.
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Since its founding in 1976, the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. The School has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts more than 3,200 alumni, including 2,200 who reside and work in North Carolina. For 25 years, Campbell Law’s overall record of success on the North Carolina Bar Exam has been unsurpassed by any other North Carolina law school. In September 2009, Campbell Law relocated to a state-of-the-art building in downtown Raleigh. For more information, visit http://law.campbell.edu.
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