Electronic control devices and use of force outcomesIncidence and severity of use of force, and frequency of injuries to arrestees and police officers

Abstract

PurposeThis paper seeks to address a deficit in the criminal justice literature by examining patterns of electronic control device (ECD) use and effectiveness as reflected in 1,188 official police use‐of‐force report records collected over a three‐year period (2005‐2007) by the Washington State Patrol (WSP).Design/methodology/approachChi‐square, t‐test, ANOVA and logistic regression analysis were employed to analyze the data with respect to patterns of use and outcomes for officers and arrestees.FindingsThe findings observed indicate that the ECD tended to replace several other types of force used to gain compliance, tended to resolve incidents involving the use of force with fewer forms of force being used, and decreased officer injury rates. The ECD was rated as generally effective by officers, but not as effective as other methods of gaining compliance in life‐threatening situations. Results concerning suspect injury rates were somewhat mixed.Research limitations/implicationsRelying on the official self‐report from a single agency limits the ability to generalize to other law enforcement agencies.Practical implicationsThe paper indicates the importance of providing for the systematic collection of data on police use of force involving the threat of use and deployment of the ECD.Originality/valueA number of questions concerning ECD's appropriate use, effectiveness, and potential for harm have remained largely unanswered. The paper addresses this deficit in the criminal justice literature.

Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs) and Citizen Injuries: The Shocking Empirical Reality

“…Varying forms of these measures have been included in previous examinations regarding citizen injuries (e.g., Lin & Jones, 2010;MacDonald et al, 2009;PERF, 2009;Smith et al, 2007) as well as broader use of force research (Terrill and Mastrofski, 2002). 16 Three primary officer-based characteristics also are included that have been part of previous empirical studies of police behavior in general (Riksheim & Chermak, 1993), the use of force (Paoline & Terrill, 2007;Worden, 1996), and CEDs and citizen injuries (Lin & Jones, 2010;Smith et al, 2007). More specifically, we accounted for officer sex, race, and experience in the event that these factors are related to individual-level differences in the application of CEDs and potentially resulting injuries to citizens.…”

“…4 The findings indicated that chemical spray had the greatest impact on reducing the odds of a suspect injury, followed by CEDs. Lin and Jones (2010), utilizing 708 use-of-force incidents from the Washington State Patrol (WSP), also examined the probability of citizen injury as a result of electronic control devices (ECDs) (a synonym for CEDs). The researchers dichotomized their force variable to include instances where ECDs were used versus all other force applications that did not involve an electronic weapon, and incorporated six control variables.…”

“…As a burgeoning area of police use of force inquiry, examinations of CEDs have explored a variety of topics including their overall effectiveness (Lin & Jones, 2010;Ready et al, 2008;White & Ready, 2007, 2010, the ethical considerations of these weapons (Kleinig, 2007), their influence on other types of force usage (Sousa, Ready, & Ault, 2010), their portrayal in the media (Ready et al, 2008, White & Ready, 2009, policy, procedure, and training concerns (Alpert & Dunham, 2010;Bunker, 2009;PERF, 2005;US Government Accountability Office, 2005), and their impact on officer injuries (Lin & Jones, 2010;MacDonald et al, 2009;PERF, 2009;Smith, Kaminski, Rojek, Alpert, & Mathis, 2007). While the aforementioned topics have been part of previous CED inquiries, the greatest amount of attention has been paid to the weapon's impact on citizen injuries.…”

A Quantum of Force: The Consequences of Counting Routine Conducted Energy Weapon Punctures as Injuries

“…In contrast to this larger body of literature, however, recent findings regarding the use of one type of weapon-conducted energy weapons (CEWs) 1 -have generated relatively consistent findings. Most recent studies of the use of CEWs by police have shown that they substantially reduce the number and severity of injuries to citizens compared to other types of force and have similar effects on injuries to officers or are benign (Lin & Jones, 2010;Smith, Kaminski, Rojek, Alpert, & Mathis, 2007;Taylor & Woods, 2010). Notably, the only two studies to date employing quasi-experimental designs bolster confidence in these results Taylor & Woods, 2010).…”

“…Using more sophisticated research designs and statistical methods, several independent studies have since been conducted, with the majority reporting that the use of CEWs significantly reduced injuries to suspects and/or officers as well as the severity of injuries to suspects (Lin & Jones, 2010;MacDonald et al, 2009;Paoline, Terrill, & Ingram, 2012;Smith et al, 2007;Taylor & Woods, 2010). Further these studies reported that the risk of moderate to severe harm from the use of CEWs was quite low.…”