How do public expectations of police use-of-force align with the strict professional and legal guidelines under which police officers train and operate? This is a largely unexamined but salient question in the use-of-force literature and is important given the ongoing public discourse regarding police use-of-force, community standards, and perceived gaps between the two. This study focuses on two main research questions: Are substantial portions of the public predisposed to disapprove of legally reasonable police use-of-force? If so, what are the principal correlates of those disapproving attitudes? We analyze responses (n = 20,781) to General Social Survey (GSS) questions from 1990 through 2018 entailing police use-of-force scenarios that are prima facie legally reasonable. We find a substantial proportion of GSS respondents have expressed their disapproval of legally reasonable, justifiable police uses-of-force over the entire period, and such disapproval has increased over time. Causes and policy implications of this misalignment are discussed.
A large-scale study of public opinion found that many Americans disapprove of police force even when it’s legally justified, and this disapproval has grown over nearly three decades from 1990 to 2018. This research reveals a significant gap between what the law considers reasonable police conduct and what the public finds acceptable. Understanding this disconnect is crucial for police departments and policymakers because it helps explain why police-community tensions persist even in cases where officers follow proper legal procedures.
(AI-generated summary, v1, January 2026)
Citations: 68 (as of January 2026)