{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/19.2-83.3.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/19.2-83.3.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/19.2-83.3.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/19.2-83.3.html"}],"law_id":68275,"edition_id":1,"section_id":68275,"structure_id":15870,"section_number":"19.2-83.3","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"2020, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 25, 35, 37, 55.","full_text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Deadly force” means any force that is likely or intended to cause serious bodily injury or death.\n\t\t“Deadly weapon” means any object, other than a body part or stationary object, that in the manner of its actual, attempted, or threatened use is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death.\n\t\t“Excessive force” means any force that is objectively unreasonable given the totality of the circumstances, including the severity of the crime at issue, whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others, and whether the suspect is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight.\n\t\t“Kinetic impact munitions” includes impact rounds and baton rounds, such as rubber batons, bean bag rounds, foam baton rounds, and plastic, wax, wood, or rubber-coated projectiles.\n\t\t“Neck restraint” means the use of any body part or object to attempt to control or disable a person by applying pressure against the neck, including the trachea or carotid artery, with the purpose, intent, or effect of controlling or restricting the person’s movement or restricting the person’s blood flow or breathing, including chokeholds, carotid restraints, and lateral vascular neck restraints.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":247019,"text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Deadly force” means any force that is likely or intended to cause serious bodily injury or death.\n\t\t“Deadly weapon” means any object, other than a body part or stationary object, that in the manner of its actual, attempted, or threatened use is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death.\n\t\t“Excessive force” means any force that is objectively unreasonable given the totality of the circumstances, including the severity of the crime at issue, whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others, and whether the suspect is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight.\n\t\t“Kinetic impact munitions” includes impact rounds and baton rounds, such as rubber batons, bean bag rounds, foam baton rounds, and plastic, wax, wood, or rubber-coated projectiles.\n\t\t“Neck restraint” means the use of any body part or object to attempt to control or disable a person by applying pressure against the neck, including the trachea or carotid artery, with the purpose, intent, or effect of controlling or restricting the person’s movement or restricting the person’s blood flow or breathing, including chokeholds, carotid restraints, and lateral vascular neck restraints.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15870,"edition_id":1,"name":"Law-Enforcement Officer Conduct During an Arrest or 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03:43:53","permalink":{"id":168169,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12801,"identifier":"19.2","token":"19.2","url":"\/19.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":68275,"structure_id":15870,"section_number":"19.2-83.3","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/19.2-83.3\/","token":"19.2\/7.1\/19.2-83.3","metadata":false},{"id":71427,"structure_id":15870,"section_number":"19.2-83.4","catch_line":"Prohibited practices for law-enforcement officers during an arrest or detention","url":"\/19.2-83.4\/","token":"19.2\/7.1\/19.2-83.4","metadata":false},{"id":73000,"structure_id":15870,"section_number":"19.2-83.5","catch_line":"Use of deadly force by a law-enforcement officer during an arrest or detention","url":"\/19.2-83.5\/","token":"19.2\/7.1\/19.2-83.5","metadata":false},{"id":64788,"structure_id":15870,"section_number":"19.2-83.6","catch_line":"Failure of a law-enforcement officer to intervene in use of excessive 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Department","order_by":null,"url":"\/9.1-102\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":171043,"object_type":"law","relational_id":68275,"identifier":"19.2-83.3","token":"19.2\/7.1\/19.2-83.3","url":"\/19.2-83.3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/19.2-83.3\/","token":"19.2\/7.1\/19.2-83.3","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 19.2-83.3","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Deadly force<\/span>” means any force that is likely or intended to cause serious bodily injury or death.\n\t\t“Deadly weapon<\/span>” means any object<\/span>, other than a body part or stationary object<\/span>, that in the manner of its actual, attempted, or threatened use is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death.\n\t\t“Excessive force<\/span>” means any force that is objectively unreasonable given the totality of the circumstances, including the severity of the crime<\/span> at issue<\/span>, whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others, and whether the suspect is actively resisting arrest<\/span> or attempting to evade arrest<\/span> by flight.\n\t\t“Kinetic impact munitions<\/span>” includes impact rounds and baton rounds, such as rubber batons, bean bag rounds, foam baton rounds, and plastic, wax, wood, or rubber-coated projectiles.\n\t\t“Neck restraint<\/span>” means the use of any body part or object<\/span> to attempt to control or disable a person by applying pressure against the neck, including the trachea or carotid artery, with the purpose, intent<\/span>, or effect of controlling or restricting the person’s movement or restricting the person’s blood flow or breathing, including chokeholds, carotid restraints, and lateral vascular neck restraints<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 19.2-83.3)\n\nAs used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Deadly force” means any force that is likely or intended to cause\nserious bodily injury or death.\n\t\t“Deadly weapon” means any object, other than a body part or\nstationary object, that in the manner of its actual, attempted, or threatened\nuse is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death.\n\t\t“Excessive force” means any force that is objectively unreasonable\ngiven the totality of the circumstances, including the severity of the crime at\nissue, whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the\nofficers or others, and whether the suspect is actively resisting arrest or\nattempting to evade arrest by flight.\n\t\t“Kinetic impact munitions” includes impact rounds and baton\nrounds, such as rubber batons, bean bag rounds, foam baton rounds, and plastic,\nwax, wood, or rubber-coated projectiles.\n\t\t“Neck restraint” means the use of any body part or object to\nattempt to control or disable a person by applying pressure against the neck,\nincluding the trachea or carotid artery, with the purpose, intent, or effect of\ncontrolling or restricting the person’s movement or restricting the\nperson’s blood flow or breathing, including chokeholds, carotid\nrestraints, and lateral vascular neck restraints.\n\nHISTORY: 2020, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 25, 35, 37, 55.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}