Nationwide, comprehensive data collection of police use of force (UOF) and violence against officer (VAO) incidents is lacking. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 21 command staff and 4 officers from 21 law enforcement agencies to understand agencies’ UOF and VAO reporting and recording processes. Five themes were identified: (1) definitions of reportable UOF vary across agencies; (2) the UOF reporting and reviewing process is labor-intensive; (3) VAO reporting needs improvement; (4) most agencies lack effective processes to identify officers with high UOF rates; and (5) analysis of aggregate UOF data can be used to improve training and policies.
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4.
GrayACParkerKF (2019) Race, structural predictors, and police shootings: are there differences across official and “unofficial” accounts of lethal force?Crime & Delinquency65(1): 26–45.
NealeJ (2016) Iterative categorization (IC): a systematic technique for analysing qualitative data: systematic technique for analysing qualitative data. Addiction111(6): 1096–1106.
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PetersenKKoperCSTaylorBG, et al. (2024) Less-Lethal Weapons and Civilian Injury in Police Use of Force Encounters: A Multi-agency Analysis. J Urban Health. doi: 10.1007/s11524-024-00940-1.
8.
RicciardelliRCarbonellMFergusonL, et al. (2023) It’s frustrating I didn’t join to sit behind a desk: police paperwork as a source of organizational stress. International Journal of Police Science and Management25(4): 516–528.
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