Examining Use of Force Outcomes in Police Calls for Service: Evidence From Cincinnati

Abstract

This study explores the correlates of use of force (UOF) in police responses to calls for service (CFS), drawing on situational, community, and organizational perspectives. Linear probability models were used to analyze CFS and UOF records for Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) from October 2014 to July 2021, along with sociodemographic and crime data aggregated to census tracts. The type of CFS, as well as quicker response times and police-initiated actions, were associated with UOF. Broader situational variables (including nighttime, alcohol consumption, and high activity periods), tract-level crime and sociodemographic characteristics, and year showed little statistical association. The study finds modest evidence of organizational influences on UOF outcomes, in the form of variation by police district.

Keywords

policing use of force calls for service

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