Use of Force Decision-Making and Legal Update
June 10, 2026
San Mateo Police Department
200 Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403
8am - 5pm
Hosted by the San Mateo Police Department
$299.00
Being promoted to a supervisor is the most challenging transition you’ll ever make.
Officers expect strong leadership. Command staff expects accountability. The public expects professionalism. But are agencies providing the coaching and mentoring needed to get promoted and then the training new sergeants need to actually lead on the street? Unfortunately, the answer is usually no.
There is no more hot-button issue in policing than use of force and no more challenging legal environment than the 9th Circuit.
Each year, new case law reshapes how officers are expected to use force, articulate decisions, and defend their actions in court. The problem is not a lack of law. The problem is that officers are rarely shown how to apply that law during real, high-stress encounters on the street.
Use of Force Decision-Making and Legal Update is an intensive 8-hour workshop designed to help officers and supervisors make force decisions that work operationally and hold up under scrutiny on body worn camera and in court.
Participants will examine real incidents, how courts ruled on those incidents, and what officers should be doing differently because of those rulings.
Workshop Topics Include:
- Use of Force Law in the 9th Circuit
- Civil Liability and Why Agencies Lose
- What Cops Don’t Understand About Qualified Immunity
- What the Law REALLY says About De-escalation
- Creating a Soundtrack on BWC
- Report Writing That Survives Scrutiny
- Body Worn Camera Analysis
- In-Custody Deaths
Practical Takeaways You Can Use Immediately
You will not leave with a stack of cases to figure out on your own.
You will leave with:
- What happened in the incident

- How the court evaluated it

- The practical lessons learned
- Exactly how to apply those lessons on your next shift
We’ll focus on three critical areas:
- Training and preparation before an incident

- Decision-making during an incident

- Articulation in reports and statements after an incident
Seats fill quickly. Register today and give your current and future supervisors the confidence and competence they need to be effective.
Your Instructors:
Guest instructor Brandon Sontag is the President of the California Force Instructors Association. He spent 19 years with the Santa Ana Police Department before being forced to medically retire last year. Brandon believes many cops fail because no one has shown them how to translate the law into real-time decisions under stress and he has made it his mission to do something about that. His instruction is built around operationalizing legal standards, not reciting them. Officers learn how courts interpret their actions and how to align their decision making with that reality while still doing the job safely and effectively.
Scott Savage is the Founder and CEO of Savage Training Group, an organization created to raise the bar of law enforcement training. Scott retired from the Santa Clara Police Department after serving 24 years as a cop in California. Scott specializes in taking complex subjects and making them easy to understand. He knows that in 2026, officers must not only be skilled at the mechanics of using force but must be equally skilled at articulating their decisions. More about Scott
Payment Methods
Once you enter the student information below and click "Register", you will be taken to a checkout page where you can pay using a credit card, or you may request that an invoice be sent to your department that can be paid online or by check and sent by mail. Please note that invoices incur a $15.00 non-refundable processing fee.
36 in stock