Howard Henderson (Texas Southern University – Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs) & Frank Wilson have posted Judicial Interpretation of Reasonableness in Use of Force Cases: An Exploratory Analysis on SSRN. Here is the abstrac:
Throughout the history of police-community encounters, the use of force has always been an issue that has raised strong emotional reactions. Indeed, given the media hype and other forms of sensationalism, it is little wonder that the issue draws so much scrutiny. The community, law enforcement and the judiciary have varying definitions of what is an acceptable level of force in the line of duty. Given the Courts findings, the ultimate goal is to reach an objective definition of use of force that the community, law enforcement and the judiciary can agree. This article examines prior Supreme Court cases and examines the decisions rendered, challenges in developing definitions regarding the use of force, as well as the implications that are associated with those decisions.