A Training Method to Improve Police Use of Force Decision Making

Abstract

Police safety and use of force decisions during critical incidents are an ongoing source of concern for both police practitioners and the public. Prior research in the area of police performance reveals that psychological and physiological stress responses during critical incidents can shape the outcome of the incident, either positively or negatively. The goal of this study was to test a training method to improve use of force decision making among police. This randomized controlled pilot study consisted of training officers to apply techniques to enhance psychological and physiological control during stressful critical incidents. Of a pool of 80 police officers, potential participants were invited based on equivalent age, years of experience, physiological characteristics (i.e., body mass index [BMI] and cardiovascular reactivity), and expertise. Results revealed that the intervention group displayed significantly better physiological control, situational awareness, and overall performance, and made a greater number of correct use of force decisions than officers in the control group (all ps < .01). The relevant improvements in use of force decision-making found in this pilot study indicate that this training method warrants further investigation. Improved use of force decision making directly translates into potential lifesaving decisions for police and the civilians they are working with.

Exploring the Delivery of Officer Safety Training: A Case Study

“…However, research on the performance of officers in conflict situations supported by comments from training observed and the officers interviewed in this case suggests that training falls short as it is not sufficiently realistic to allow officers to over-ride their stimulus driven reactions and avoidance behaviours (cf. Andersen & Gustafsberg, 2016). Therefore, given this, and the findings from the present study there is a need to ask if the current training delivery results in officers sufficiently prepared to manage violence during their work.…”

“…Of any occupation, the police are most exposed to violence (Waddington, Badger, & Bull, 2006) with data from England and Wales alone suggesting 23,000 reported assaults on police officers in 2015/16 (Home Office, 2017). Police safety and use of force decisions are an ongoing source of concern for both the police and the public (Andersen & Gustafsberg, 2016) but research investigating police violence and use of force remains limited (Buttle, 2007).…”

“…Volatile and violent encounters present "complex, multi-faceted and sometimes subtle problems" (Waddington,et al,p.182), but in preparation for violent situations, police officers are trained in a "largely off the shelf" and "rather stereotyped catalogue" (Waddington et al, 2006, p.181) of arrest and self-defence skills (ASDS) -known in the UK as officer safety training (OST). Surprisingly, few studies are concerned specifically with OST and training around use of force (Andersen & Gustafsberg, 2016;Buttle, 2007) and this research looks to address this gap by generating empirical evidence about OST, its content and delivery.…”

“…Jager, Klatt, & Bliesner, 2013;Renden, et al, 2015a) yet paradoxically, officers competent in use of force have a wider range of techniques and use less force than unskilled and often frightened officers who are more likely to use excessive force (e.g. Andersen & Gustafsberg, 2016;Geller & Toch, 1996;Buttle, 2007).…”

“…Renden and colleagues (2015) indicated that police officers wished for more 'realistic' training delivered in a way that is "more comparable to the high-pressure situations that officers face in the line of duty" (Renden et al, 2015a, p. 17). Officers describe a difference between their training experiences and incidences of violence which involved increased pressure, (physical, cognitive and emotional) (Staller & Zaiser, 2015) and that occurred in chaotic circumstances (Jager et al, 2013) resulting in perceptual deterioration associated with high stress arousal (Andersen & Gustafsberg, 2016). Training programmes depend on the transfer of skills learned in the training environment to real world contexts or the 'criterion environment'.…”