08/29/2026
Use of Force: Leadership, Decision-Making & Review
A Question Every Use-of-Force Reviewer Should Be Prepared to Answer:
“Commander, what current training have you received in use-of-force analysis that qualifies you to reach your conclusion regarding my client’s actions?”
If you are responsible for judging an officer’s use of force, you should be prepared to explain not only your conclusion—but the training, knowledge, and analytical process that brought you to it.
In today’s environment, every use-of-force incident is subject to intense scrutiny—often analyzed frame by frame and judged without proper consideration of the circumstances confronting the officer, police training, human performance, or applicable legal standards. This environment has increased the potential for misinformation while placing greater responsibility on agency leaders who are expected to review, analyze, and reach conclusions regarding officers’ actions.
Use-of-force analysis is a perishable professional competency. Just as officers and instructors must maintain their training and proficiency, supervisors, commanders, investigators, and trainers responsible for reviewing force must remain current on case law, force-analysis methodology, human-performance factors, documentation, and contemporary training practices.
A title or supervisory position alone does not establish expertise in use-of-force analysis. Those responsible for determining whether an officer’s actions were reasonable, consistent with training, or within policy should be prepared to demonstrate the knowledge, training, and methodology used to reach those conclusions.
This two-day course is designed for police and corrections leaders, supervisors, investigators, and trainers responsible for reviewing, investigating, reporting, training, or making administrative determinations regarding use-of-force incidents. Through focused instruction, real-world case studies, and practical analysis, participants develop strategies to improve force review, strengthen documentation, recognize human-performance factors, and support informed and legally defensible decision-making.
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