What best describes the standard for reasonable force?

• A. Proportional to the threat and reasonably necessary to achieve a legitimate objective.
• B. Maximum force in all situations.
• C. Only verbal commands are allowed.
• D. Force must never be used.

Answer: (A)

Reasonable force is judged by proportionality to the threat and whether it is reasonably necessary to achieve a legitimate objective. In practice, officers must use only enough force to control the situation and protect safety, taking into account factors such as how imminent and serious the threat is, whether the subject is resisting, and what alternatives exist. This aligns with the idea of objective reasonableness: what a reasonable officer would assess under the circumstances at the scene, with the information available at that moment.

So the best approach is one where force is proportional to the danger and reasonably necessary to achieve the lawful goal, rather than using maximum force in every situation, relying only on verbal commands, or using no force at all. For example, if a suspect poses an imminent threat, some force may be appropriate to gain control; if there is no threat or de-escalation is possible, force should be avoided or minimized.