Situational factors and police use of force across micro‐time intervals: A video systematic social observation and panel regression analysis

Abstract

The current study analyzes police use of force as a series of time-bound transactions between officers, civilians, and bystanders. The research begins with a systematic social observation of use-of-force events recorded on police body-worn cameras in Newark, New Jersey. Researchers measure the occurrence and time stamps for numerous participant physical and verbal behaviors. Data are converted into a longitudinal panel format measuring all observed behaviors in 5-second intervals. Panel logistic regression models estimate the effect of each behavior on use of force in immediate and subsequent temporal periods. Findings indicate certain variables influence use of force at a distinct point in time, whereas others exert influence on use of force across multiple time periods. The most influential variables relate to authority maintenance theoretical constructs. This finding supports prior perspectives arguing that police use of force largely results from officer attempts to maintain constant authority over civilians during faceto-face encounters. Nonetheless, a range of additional variables reflecting procedural justice, civilian resistance, and bystander presence significantly affect when police use force during civilian encounters. Results provide nuance to theoretical frameworks considering use 74

1033 Program Data for Studying Policing and Militarization: An Open-source Database in Response to the Recommendations of Koslicki

“…with the 1033 Program and potential resultant impacts on controversial issues like the elevated level of police militarization in communities of color (Koslicki, 2023), outcomes observed in police use of force encounters (Koslicki et al, 2021;Piza et al 2023), and policy decisions surrounding police funding decisions (Bruce et al 2019) are paramount. To effectively answer such questions, we offer a resource for consistently observing the relationship between police militarization and potential outcomes of interest.…”

On the Importance of Microsociology for the Study of Workplace Violence

“…This literature is inspired and shaped by Reiss (1971bReiss ( , 1971a who advanced Systematic Social Observation (SSO) as a method to systematically code and analyze officer-citizen encounters with a strict and explicit procedure with the possibility of replication. This literature examines how situational actions and characteristics shape the use of force in officer-citizen interactions (Piza et al 2022). This includes a systematic analysis of how citizen demeanor associates with officers' use of force (Terrill 2003;Terrill, Paoline, and Manning 2003), how situational factors such as increased numbers of bystanders and officers' elevated use of force induce citizen disrespect (Reisig et al 2004), and how officers' fairness influence how citizen respond to and perceive police legitimacy (Dai, Frank, and Sun 2011;Nawaz and Tankebe 2018;Worden and McLean 2017).…”

Gewalt im Amt

“…Es handelt sich um vielschichtige Interaktionsgeschehen, die durch ein Zusammenwirken wechselseitiger (Re-)Aktionen und äußerer Gegebenheiten bedingt werden und die häufig das Resultat eines Aufschaukelungsprozesses sind (vgl. Feltes et al, 2007;Piza et al, 2023). Die Anlässe für den Polizeikontakt sind dabei ebenso vielfältig wie die Umstände, die zur Gewaltanwendung führen.…”

“…das Vermeiden eines Kontrollverlusts als ein zentrales handlungsleitendes Motiv. Insofern schließen wir an internationale Forschungsergebnisse an, die darlegen, dass Gewaltanwendungen primär dem polizeilichen Autoritätserhalt dienen (Alpert & Dunham, 2004;Piza et al, 2023). Die Polizei ist beauftragt, die zur Gefahrenabwehr und zur Strafverfolgung notwendigen Maßnahmen durchzusetzen.…”