Therefore, it would be necessary for officers to physically detain the suspect before he could do so. In addition, officers have to be concerned about the safety of non-suspects in the vicinity. For example, an officer responding to a domestic violence call has the duty to make sure that the victim is safe. While a suspect may be very compliant with police requests, an officer has to make sure that the suspect is sufficiently restrained to keep them from harming a victim. Therefore, officers frequently have to use force when making an arrest.

             Furthermore, it is naive for those outside of the law enforcement community to suggest that they know what level of force is appropriate to use in certain situations. In everyday life, it would be excessive for multiple people to detain a single person. However, criminal suspects are not drawn from the general public. Instead, criminal suspects are often involved in activities that enhance their dangerousness. The most obvious personal trait that differentiates criminal suspects from the general population is that many criminal suspects are under the influence of drugs at the time of police interaction. Drugs can affect criminals in a variety of different manners. First, drugs can enhance strength. Second, drugs can impair judgment. Third, drugs can reduce sensitivity to pain. The combination of the three effects can make a person that does not appear to be a physical threat into a substantial danger to officers. Therefore, the force necessary to restrain that person can greatly exceed the force necessary to restrain other people of similar size and strength. In addition to drug addicts, police officers are often called upon to interact with people that are mentally ill. Mental illness can have many of the same effects as drugs on a person's ability to resist normal modes of restraint. Even criminal suspects that are not under the influence of drugs or under a mental disability cannot necessarily be compared to the general public.