Was That Use of Force Reasonable? The Public Doesn’t Know

There is a gap between what community members believe is reasonable use of force and what the law defines as reasonable. This divide has led to significant consequences for police departments across the country and society as a whole. In the current study, community members’ assessments of force reasonableness aligned with the legal standard on use of force only about half of the time, partly because legally irrelevant factors influenced their assessments. To reduce the divide between community and legal standards on use of force, police leaders can provide community education, revise departmental policy, and/or deliver de-escalation training.