Explain the difference between reasonable and necessary force in policing.

• A. Reasonable force is the minimal force required; necessary force is any force that stops a threat.
• B. Reasonable force is an objectively reasonable response to a threat under the circumstances; necessary force is the minimal force needed to achieve a lawful objective.
• C. Reasonable force and necessary force are identical concepts.
• D. Necessary force is always more than reasonable force.

Answer: (B)

Reasonable force is about how a forceful action would be viewed by an objective observer given what the officer knows at the moment. It uses the totality of the circumstances—the threat level, immediacy, resistance offered, and available alternatives—to determine if the response was something a reasonable officer would use in that situation.

Necessary force, on the other hand, focuses on whether the amount of force used was the minimal needed to achieve a lawful objective. It asks if there was a less intrusive option that could have accomplished the goal without exposing the person or others to unnecessary harm.

So the correct statement combines both ideas: the force used should be an objectively reasonable response to the threat under the circumstances, and it should be the minimal amount necessary to achieve a lawful objective. This aligns with how courts assess policing actions by examining reasonableness and necessity, ensuring proportionality and protection of rights.

The other options misstate these ideas or treat them as identical or always in a greater-than relationship, which isn’t correct.