Research on police use of force has become a topic of considerable interest to practitioners and researchers. This article focuses on the various methods used by agencies and researchers to collect use-of-force information. Police managers and researchers often have different interests and needs concern ing these data and collect only the types of information important to their needs. The authors' suggestion is to have a supervisor document all aspects ofpolice- citizen contacts where force is used. The supervisor should receive input from all involved parties, including the officer(s), suspect(s), and witness(es). Finally, a panel of experts could be used to determine if the approach to the situation and any force used were reasonable.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Adams, K. (1995). Measuring the prevalence of abuse of force In W. Geller & H. Toch (Eds.), And justice for all: Understanding and controlling police abuse of force (pp. 61-97). Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum.
2.
Alpert, G., & Dunham, R. (1998). An analysis of police use offorce data. Final reportWashington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
3.
Alpert, G., & Fridell, L.A. (1992). Police vehicles and firearms: Instruments of deadly forceProspect Heights, IL: Waveland .
4.
Alpert, G., & Smith, W. (1994). Developing police policy: An evaluation of the control principleAmerican Journal of Police , 13, 1-20.
5.
Alpert, G., Smith, W. & Watters, D. (1992). Implications of the Rodney King beatingCriminal Law Bulletin, 28, 469-479.
6.
Bayley, D., & Garofalo, J. (1989). The management of violence by police patrol officersCriminology, 27, 1-27.
7.
Connor, G. (1991, March). Use of force continuum: Phase IILaw and Order, 30-32.
8.
Croft, E., & Austin, B. (1987). Police use of force in Rochester and Syracuse, New York 1984 and 1985. Report to the New York State Commission on Criminal Justice and the Use of Force (Vol. 3). Albany: New York State Commission on Criminal Justice and the Use of Force.
9.
Farenholtz, D., Peak, K., & Rhodes, E. (1995). Police officer's physical abilities studyAbbotsford, British Columbia, Canada: D.W.F. Consultants.
10.
Friedrich, R.J. (1980). Police use of force: Individuals, situations, and organizationsAnnals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 452 , 82-97.
11.
Garner, J. (1995) Use of force by and against the police (95-IJ-CX-0066 .
12.
Garner, J., Buchanan, J., Schade, T., & Hepburn, J. (1996). Understanding the use of force by and against the police. Final reportWashington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
13.
Geller, W. A., & Toch, H. (Eds.). (1995). And justice for all: Understanding and controlling police abuse of force.Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum.
14.
Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989).
15.
Greenfield, L., Lanagan, P., & Smith, S. (1998). Police use of force: Collection of national dataWashington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
16.
Hagan, F. (1997). Research methods in criminal justice and criminology (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
17.
Hunt, J., & Manning, P. (1991). The social context of police lyingSymbolic Interaction, 14 , 51-70.
18.
Kappeler, V., Sluder, R., & Alpert, G. (1998). Forces of deviance: Understanding the dark side of policingProspect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
19.
Klockars, C. (1995). A theory of excessive force and its control In W. Geller & H. Toch (Eds.), And justice for all: Understanding and controlling police abuse of force (pp. 11-30). Washington, DC : Police Executive Research Forum.
20.
Pate, A., & Fridell, L. (1993). Police use of force: Official reports, citizen complaints, and legal consequences (Vol. 1). Washington, DC: Police Foundation.
21.
Reiss, A. (1968). Police brutality—Answers to key questionsTrans-action,5(8), 10-19.
22.
Reiss, A. (1971). The police and the publicNew Haven: Yale University Press.
23.
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. (1981). Who is guarding the guardians: A report on police practicesWashington, DC: Author.
24.
Walker, S., & Graham, N. (1998). Citizen complaints in response to police misconduct: The results of a victimization surveyPolice Quarterly , 1, 65-89.
25.
Westley, W.A. (1970). Violence and the policeCambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
26.
Worden, R. (1995). The "causes" of police brutality: Theory and evidence on police use of force In W. Geller & H. Toch (Eds.), And justice for all: Understanding and controlling police abuse of force (pp. 31-60). Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum.
