Oleoresin Capsicum Spray and TASERs

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven G. Brandl ◽  
Meghan S. Stroshine
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
Police Department ◽  
The United States ◽  
Event Data ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Police Agencies ◽  
Municipal Police

In the last few decades, several less lethal forms of force have been introduced, adopted, and deployed by police agencies. Oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray is now used in nearly every department across the United States; the Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle (TASER) is used in the majority of police departments. Despite their widespread use, we still know relatively little about the factors associated with the use of OC spray and TASERs and the effectiveness of these weapons in incapacitating subjects. Knowing when these weapons are used and whether they are effective would provide for a more complete understanding of their strengths and limitations and inform the debate about where less lethal weapons should be placed on use of force continua. This article contributes to the discussion by analyzing 504 use-of-force incidents where the police used OC spray or TASERs during the event. Data were obtained from a large municipal police department on incidents that occurred in 2010 and 2011. Policy considerations and directions for further research are discussed.

Challenging the Ordinality of Police Use-of-Force Policy

2021 ◽  
pp. 088740342110383
Author(s):  
Scott M. Mourtgos ◽  
Ian T. Adams ◽  
Samuel R. Baty
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
Police Department ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Force ◽  
Police Use Of Force ◽  
Lethal Force ◽  
Police Agencies ◽  
Municipal Police ◽  
Force Data

Most use-of-force policies utilized by U.S. police agencies make fundamental ordinal assumptions about officers’ force responses to subject resistance. These policies consist of varying levels of force and resistance along an ordinally ranked continuum of severity. We empirically tested the ordinal assumptions that are ubiquitous to police use-of-force continua within the United States using 1 year’s use-of-force data from a municipal police department. Applying a quantitative technique known as categorical regression with optimal scaling, we found the assumptions of ordinality within the studied department’s use-of-force continuum (which is similar to many police use-of-force continua within the United States) are not met. Specifying physical force as a “lower” force option than less-lethal tools is associated with increased officer injury and decreased subject injury. Our findings call into question use-of-force continua featuring ordinal rankings for varying categories of less-lethal force.

scholarly journals Military, University, and Police Agency Command and Staff Colleges in the United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
Richard H. Martin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
Police Department ◽  
The United States ◽  
Police Agency ◽  
Police Agencies ◽  
Municipal Police ◽  
The Military ◽  
The U.S

This article discusses three models of command and staff colleges (CSC). Five university models, five United States Military models, and one police agency model are discussed. The 11 CSCs provide leadership development in various training and education programs all leading to the increased capabilities of leaders and potential leaders for public safety and branches of the military. The police agency CSC model was developed within a Montgomery, Alabama Police Department, the only one of its kind among public safety agencies in the country. The concept of a CSC for leadership development among police agencies in the U.S. is a rare entity. Other command and staff colleges were found to be connected to the various branches of the U.S. Military and higher education institutions. The article also discusses the municipal police agency CSC model historical development as it expanded within the department and throughout the state of Alabama.

Exploring Bias in Police Shooting Decisions With Real Shoot/Don’t Shoot Cases

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1171-1192 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Worrall ◽  
Stephen A. Bishopp ◽  
Scott C. Zinser ◽  
Andrew P. Wheeler ◽  
Scott W. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
Police Department ◽  
The Other ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Police Shootings ◽  
Municipal Police ◽  
Shooting Decisions ◽  
Published Research ◽  
Relevant Factors

The controversy surrounding recent high-profile police shootings (e.g., Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Laquan McDonald in Chicago) has prompted inquiry into the possible existence of bias in officers’ use-of-force decisions. Using a balanced mix of shoot/don’t shoot cases from a large municipal police department in the Southwestern United States, this study analyzed the effect of suspect race on officers’ decisions to shoot—while accounting for other theoretically relevant factors. Findings suggest that Black suspects were not disproportionately the target of police shootings; Black suspects were approximately one third as likely to be shot as other suspects. This finding challenges the current bias narrative and is consistent with the other race-related findings in recently published research.

scholarly journals A Simple Solution to Policing Problems: Women!

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 590-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mindy E. Bergman ◽  
Jessica M. Walker ◽  
Vanessa A. Jean
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Police Officer ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
The United States ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Civil Rights Act ◽  
Police Organizations ◽  
Female Officers ◽  
Organizational Climates

Ruggs et al. (2016) describe paths through which industrial–organizational (I-O) psychology can make a dent in the ongoing policing problems in the United States. These paths include traditional I-O areas such as improved selection models, increased training, and changed organizational climates. However, there might be one fairly straightforward way in which police organizations can quickly reduce use-of-force problems: women. Because Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prevents selection based on sex, police departments obviously cannot hire women just because they are women. But police departments can and, we argue, should recruit more women to apply for police officer positions, create work practices and experiences that are attractive to and supportive of women (Hassell & Brandl, 2009), and make efforts to retain female officers because of the evidence that female officers use less force when policing (Bolger, 2015). Additionally, police organizations and I-O psychologists should also work together to discover why women are less likely to use force and, subsequently, determine whether these characteristics can be selected or trained for in either sex.

Why Did You Become a Police Officer? Entry-Related Motives and Concerns of Women and Men in Policing

2021 ◽  
pp. 009385482199350
Author(s):  
Samantha S. Clinkinbeard ◽  
Starr J. Solomon ◽  
Rachael M. Rief
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Police Officer ◽  
Workforce Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
National Institute Of Justice ◽  
Police Agencies

As police agencies in the United States suffer declining applications and struggle to recruit women, the National Institute of Justice has identified workforce development as a priority research area. To recruit more effectively, we must understand what attracts people to policing and what deters them. We surveyed officers in two Midwestern police departments ( n = 832) about entry motivations and concerns and examined gender differences. Serve/protect motivations were most important for men and women, though women rated the category significantly higher. Women and non-White officers rated legacy motives higher than did males and White officers. Women reported more concerns overall and scored higher on job demands and acceptance concerns; officers of color also reported more acceptance concerns than White officers. The largest gender differences were associated with gender-related obstacles and stereotypes (e.g., discrimination; being taken seriously; physical demands), indicating recruitment reform necessarily includes improving systemic issues.

The Accuracy of Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting Data: A Response to “The Limitations of Government Databases for Analyzing Fatal Officer-Involved Shootings in the United States”

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-373
Author(s):  
Charlie Beck ◽  
Craig D. Uchida
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
Police Department ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal Bureau ◽  
Department Of Justice ◽  
California Department ◽  
Federal Bureau Of Investigation ◽  
Policy Review ◽  
Police Agencies

This essay responds to an article by Williams, Bowman, and Jung concerning fatal officer-involved shootings (OISs) and Federal and state databases that appeared in the Criminal Justice Policy Review. We write in response to the article because of our concern about the claim that data from individual police agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), were classified as “missing” or were not reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and in our case, the California Department of Justice. This essay provides a much-needed context for fatal OISs. The essay (a) defines use of force and explains the level of oversight for OISs, (b) provides a brief analysis of LAPD OISs from 2006 to 2015, (c) discusses the “missing or nonreported” LAPD cases, and (d) presents our conclusions about fatal OIS data.

Peel's Principles and Their Acceptance by American Police: Ending 175 Years of Reinvention

2003 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith L. Williams
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Community Policing ◽  
Police Department ◽  
The United States ◽  
Historical Overview ◽  
Metropolitan Police ◽  
Police Service ◽  
Police Agencies ◽  
American Police

Since the inception of modem policing in 1829, the policing styles of Britain and the United States have run incongruent courses. While the Metropolitan Police Department of London has stayed true to the principles first articulated by Sir Robert Peel, American policing has undergone several sweeping changes in the administration of service. These reinventions have hampered the establishment of a true ideology of police service in America. Through a comparative historical overview of these policing models, this article will strive to explain the reason behind the lack of acceptance of Peel's original nine principles by police in America. Further discussion will focus on the current acceptance of these principles by many police agencies within the United States in their community policing missions and ask what might have been had the Peelian virtues been accepted from the beginning.

The Administrative Standard

2020 ◽  
pp. 97-124
Author(s):  
Seth W. Stoughton ◽  
Jeffrey J. Noble ◽  
Geoffrey P. Alpert
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Conceptual Models ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
Visual Representations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Behavioral Models ◽  
Detailed Review ◽  
Police Agencies ◽  
Internal Policy ◽  
And Training

The vast majority of the 18,000 police agencies in the United States have policies, procedures, and training that govern officers’ uses of force. While there are notable consistencies and broad, though not universal, agreement on certain shared principles, there are significant variations in the details of how agencies draft and operationalize their administrative policies. This chapter explores how police agencies define “force” and “reportable force” for purposes of internal policy, and offers a detailed review of the conceptual models that are widely used as visual representations of administrative regulation: the forty-year-old but highly influential incremental models, force matrix and force continuum, as well as the more recent, but less widely adopted, situational tactical options and situational behavioral models. The chapter concludes by describing a dozen common components of administrative use-of-force policies.

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