By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Metro Nashville Police Department is replacing the phrase “use of force” with “response to resistance” in its official terminology.
- Southeast Precinct Commander Carlos Lara told the city’s Community Review Board that officers using lawful force are “reacting to the level of resistance with which they are confronted.”
- Lara said the change reflects a broader national trend among police departments.
- Supervisors have already begun using the new terminology within the department’s digital “BlueTeam” reporting system.
- Asked how the policy accounts for force used against a non-resisting person, Lara said such incidents would trigger criminal investigations and other reviews outside standard administrative reporting.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Metro Nashville Police Department is replacing “use of force” with “response to resistance” in its official terminology, according to WSMV.
Southeast Precinct Commander Carlos Lara told the city’s Community Review Board that during lawful uses of force, officers are “reacting to the level of resistance with which they are confronted,” and said the change reflects a trend seen in police departments nationally.
Nashville police supervisors have already adopted the new terminology within the department’s digital “BlueTeam” reporting system.
Asked by review board members how the policy would categorize incidents in which force is used against someone who is not resisting, Lara said such situations would trigger criminal investigations and other reviews, placing them outside the department’s standard administrative reporting process.