Graham Factors (SIRF) refer to which four considerations?

Graham Factors (SIRF) refer to which four considerations?

• A. SEVERITY of the crime at issue; Suspect posed an IMMEDIATE threat; Suspect was RESISTING arrest; Attempting to evade arrest by FLIGHT.
• B. An acronym describing unrelated police procedures.
• C. Factors used to determine weather conditions during an arrest.
• D. Elements of a consent search.

Answer: (D)

The Graham factors are the four considerations used to judge the reasonableness of police force during an arrest. From Graham v. Connor, they are: the severity of the crime at issue, the immediacy of any threat posed by the suspect, whether the suspect is resisting arrest, and whether the suspect is attempting to flee. These are the SIRF elements that guide a Fourth Amendment reasonableness assessment. The other choices don’t fit because they describe unrelated topics—unconnected procedures, weather considerations, or consent searches—which do not determine when force used by an officer is reasonable.

The Graham factors are the four considerations used to judge the reasonableness of police force during an arrest. From Graham v. Connor, they are: the severity of the crime at issue, the immediacy of any threat posed by the suspect, whether the suspect is resisting arrest, and whether the suspect is attempting to flee. These are the SIRF elements that guide a Fourth Amendment reasonableness assessment. The other choices don’t fit because they describe unrelated topics—unconnected procedures, weather considerations, or consent searches—which do not determine when force used by an officer is reasonable.