The Use of Force in Higher Education Policing: Implications for Policy and Practice

Abstract

The public call for transparency around police use-of-force incidents and incident data must be answered. Campus police departments are no exception. Yet while the fundamentals of policing are universal, campus policing poses unique challenges for officers, and there is little empirical research informing campus policing policy and practice. In this article, we analyse use-of-force incident records and police officer focus group data involving the Indiana University Police Department over a 3-year period. The data reveal that use-of-force incidents most commonly occurred off-campus; most subjects were males not affiliated with the university; and alcohol was usually a factor. Subject resistance actions and officer use of force are discussed. The article concludes with examples of real-world policy applications, presenting an opportunity for urban police departments to look to campus policing as a model of transparency around use-of-force incidents.