Police work in 2021 and beyond is going to be different than it was in early 2020 and before. Cops are going to be required to take more steps and more obvious steps to avoid and minimize force and will need to be able to clearly articulate how they did that or why they did not. For many, this kind of stuff gets a few hours in academies and the occasional in-service training and that is not going to be enough. It is also something that many cops have not embraced. The rules and the laws are here or coming for most of us and it will ultimately be up to each individual to develop the skills necessary to try and stay of trouble.
As to the original question...I am seeing agencies enact polices and local and state governments enact laws that state or suggest that "unnecessarily or prematurely drawing or exhibiting a firearm can serve to escalate a situation." I assume bad things will happen if the people making those decisions after the fact feel such a thing happened.
I am seeing policies like this:
A "show of force" report will be filed in "incidents NOT involving a use of force, but a firearm (no discharge) or physical hand control technique was used." The term "used" is not defined, but since it is distinguished from a gun being fired, and makes no mention of where it was pointed, I take that to mean unholstered.
A further proposed policy states a use of force report is needed for "incidents NOT involving a use of force or injury…where an officer un-holsters their firearm or CEW/TASER, intentionally points any firearm or CEW/TASER at a person, and no other force-related incident occurs.
"At a person" is not further defined. I assume the upshot is that unholstering is a show of force, and pointing a gun "at" someone is a use of force. I would guess low ready under this policy may require a use of force report.
An article touching on this issue from several years ago:
http://www.theppsc.org/Staff_Views/A...ed-Handgun.htm