Police use of force: An analysis of organizational characteristics

Alpert, Geoffrey P.; MacDonald, John M.

doi:10.1080/07418820100094951

Cited by 126 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Supervisors must enforce rules governing appropriate conduct and do so with the recognition that consistent enforcement will set a desirable subcultural tone in which policy violations are less likely to be tolerated or condoned. Furthermore, establishment of bearly warning systemsQ to identify unique complaint patterns against particular officers and to target them for discipline and remediation enhances the positive impacts of supervision and rule enforcement (Alpert & MacDonald, 2001;Klockars, 1995, p. 24;Toch, 1995).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

American police and subcultural support for the use of excessive force

Micucci

Gomme

2005

Journal of Criminal Justice

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

American police and subcultural support for the use of excessive force

Micucci

Gomme

2005

Journal of Criminal Justice

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“…Many studies suggest that approximately 10% of officers are injured during use-of-force incidents (Henriquez 1999;Kaminski 2004;Kaminski et al 2004;Smith and Petrocelli 2002;Smith et al 2007), but some studies have observed rates of up to 38% (Alpert and MacDonald 2001;Kaminski and Sorensen 1995). Recorded injuries are relatively minor in terms of severity (Alpert et al 2000;Brandl 1996;Brandl and Stroshine 2003;Kaminski 2004).…”

Section: Use Of Bwcs To Reduce Assaults Against Police Officersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paradoxical effects of self-awareness of being observed: testing the effect of police body-worn cameras on assaults and aggression against officers

et al. 2017

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Objectives Recently, scholars have applied self-awareness theory to explain why bodyworn cameras (BWCs) affect encounters between the public and police, with its most immediate manifestation being a reduction in the use of force by and complaints against police. In this study, we report on the paradoxical effects of BWCs in the context of assaults on officers. Methods A multisite randomized controlled trial in ten departments, with officers wearing (or not wearing) BWCs based on random assignment of shifts. Odds ratios are used to estimate the treatment effect on assaults, along with Bone study removedŝ ensitivity analyses. Further subgroup analyses are performed in terms of varying degrees of officers' discretion, to enhance the practical applications of this multisite experiment. Finally, before-analyses are applied as well, control shifts (M = 28.38; SD = 15.99), which translate into 37% higher odds of assault in treatment shifts than in control conditions. The perverse direction and relative magnitude in each experimental site in eight out of ten sites were consistent. The backfiring treatment effect was substantially more pronounced in low discretion sites, i.e., where officers strongly followed the experimental protocol (OR = 2.565; 95% CI 1.792, 3.672). At the same time, before-after analyses show that assaults were overall reduced by 61% in the participating police departments, thus suggesting paradoxical effects.Conclusions We explain these findings using self-awareness theory. Once self-aware that their performance is being observed by BWCs, officers become at risk of being assaulted. Results suggest that under some circumstances, self-awareness can lead to excessive self-inspection that strips power-holders of their ability to function under extreme situations. This mechanism is potentially a function of Bover-deterrence^. The study further demonstrates the benefits of applying psychosocial theories to the study of social control and deterrence theories more broadly, with a robust and falsifiable mechanism that explains the conditions under which being observed stimulates either appropriate or perverse consequences.

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“…The style and organizational structure of the police department affects officer behavior, including using force (Alpert & MacDonald, 2001). Manning (1994) makes this point when he states, "American policing has been and remains highly politicized, especially locally" (p.675).…”

Section: * Macro-level Police Use Of Force Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Racial Threat, Urban Conditions and Police Use of Force: Assessing the Direct and Indirect Linkages across Multiple Urban Areas

Parker

MacDonald

Jennings

et al. 2005

Justice Research and Policy

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Traditionally explanations of police use of force have relied on a racial threat perspective. Tests of this perspective, however, typically offer a single indicator of threat (the relative size of the black population) and fail to adequately take into account the complex relationship between racial threat and police use of force. Drawing on racial threat, social disorganization, and police use of force literature, this study hypothesizes that macro-level patterns in police use of force are embedded in the racial and structural composition of cities and the organizational climate of local politics and police departments. The present study examines these relationships using official police use of force data collected in 73 large U.S. cities. Structural equation analyses suggest that structural indicators associated with racial threat and social disorganization/disadvantage impact police use of force indirectly through the influence of police organizational factors. On the other hand, the political climate and the level of social disorganization in urban areas have a direct bearing on the rates of police use of force. The implications of these findings for research and theory on police use of force are discussed.

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Police use of force: An analysis of organizational characteristics

Cited by 126 publications

References 14 publications

American police and subcultural support for the use of excessive force

American police and subcultural support for the use of excessive force

Paradoxical effects of self-awareness of being observed: testing the effect of police body-worn cameras on assaults and aggression against officers

Racial Threat, Urban Conditions and Police Use of Force: Assessing the Direct and Indirect Linkages across Multiple Urban Areas

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