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When “Science” Isn’t Scientific: What Police Leaders Should Know about Force Science

January 2026 Applied police briefings

Irick A. Geary , Ian T. Adams , Seth W. Stoughton , Brandon del Pozo , Marc Olson , Geoffrey P. Alpert

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Abstract

Courts and the scientific community have established standards for evidentiary admissibility and reliability. Most widely taught Force Science concepts lack strong empirical support. When drawing on this work, courts and agencies are likely relying on research claims that fail accepted standards of scientific reliability. Police leaders must critically evaluate the evidentiary foundations of training content and expert testimony before incorporating either into policy or investigations.

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Citations: 0 (as of July 2026)

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APA

Irick A. Geary, Ian T. Adams, Seth W. Stoughton, Brandon del Pozo, Marc Olson, Geoffrey P. Alpert (2026). When “Science” Isn’t Scientific: What Police Leaders Should Know about Force Science. Applied police briefings. https://doi.org/10.22215/apb.v3i2.5904

BibTeX 
@article{geary2026,
  title   = {When “Science” Isn’t Scientific: What Police Leaders Should Know about Force Science},
  author  = {Irick A. Geary and Ian T. Adams and Seth W. Stoughton and Brandon del Pozo and Marc Olson and Geoffrey P. Alpert},
  journal = {Applied police briefings},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.22215/apb.v3i2.5904},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.22215/apb.v3i2.5904}
}

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