The Memphis Police Department is asking the citizens of Memphis to complete an online survey designed to gather public opinion on what is perceived as reasonable use of force when an officer encounters a resisting suspect.
MPD has partnered with an organization called Response to Resistance (RTR), which provides surveys for police departments across the nation to use as a tool for gathering community input on use of force by police.
The survey takes about 8 minutes to complete and shows five short reenactment videos that portray scenarios of a suspect who is being placed under a legal and lawful arrest. Each portrayal escalates in suspect resistance, and respondents are asked to rank what they feel are the appropriate and justified use of force tactics used by the arresting officer.
According the RTR website, MPD officers were asked to complete the survey in October of 2016. You can view the department results compared to your by entering a code provided by RTR at the end of the survey.
MPD Director Michael Rallings has called the survey a proactive measure, one that will provide civilians with insight into use of force decisions MPD officers are faced with daily.
“It further allows us, as a law enforcement agency to understand what the public perceives to be a reasonable force used by an officer,” said Rallings.
Those interested have until tomorrow, March 17, to complete the survey, which can be found here.
