(Originally published by USA Today on January 21, 2026.)

When a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen behind the wheel of her car in Minneapolis, the Trump administration called it self-defense. But after that shooting, and a second one that occurred on Jan. 14, people are asking the right questions:

• Did the agents genuinely fear they would be seriously injured?
• Were there other options?
• Did the agents’ own actions create the dangers they faced?

These are exactly the questions use of force policies exist to help answer. However, for most law enforcement agencies around the country, those policies can be difficult for the public to access and interpret.

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