NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Metro Nashville Police Department has stated it will replace the phrase “use of force” with “response to resistance” in its official terminology, WSMV reported.
Metro Nashville Police Southeast Precinct Commander Carlos Lara told the Nashville’s Community Review Board that during lawful uses of force, officers are “reacting to the level of resistance with which they are confronted” and that the move reflects national trends.
Nashville Police supervisors have already swapped to the new terminology inside the digital “BlueTeam” reporting system.
When asked by review board members about situations in which the person involved in an incident does not resist but force is still used, Lara said that such a scenario would invoke criminal investigations and other reviews that would take the incident outside standard administrative reporting.
Should more departments replace the phrase “use of force” in their administrative terminology policies?
