Use of Force-Policy and Training Considerations The law
enforcement community has been scrutinized and criticized on a
regular basis for incidents involving use of force. Perhaps part
of the lack of understanding on police use of force comes from
the fact that most people get their perspective on police use of
force from television. The reality of police use of force is
that it is not the pretty picture that Hollywood creates. From a
policy perspective many agencies nationally are beginning to do
away with the term “use of force” in terms of policy and
reporting. New terminology emphasizes the defensive nature of
police use of force. The term, “Response to Resistance” is
beginning to appear on agency policies that were once labeled
“use of force. The term “Response to Resistance” may seem like
semantics at first glance, however when one considers how
officers view their conduct, benefits can be found in this
terminology. The single most important case on police use of
force is Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (