Resident Perceptions of Police Use of Nonfatal Force

• In Event: Federal Approaches to Measure Police Use of Force

Abstract

Law enforcement use of force continues to receive a high level of attention from the media and the public. This presentation examines racial and ethnic differences in residents’ perceptions of the use of nonfatal force by law enforcement using data from the 2015 Police Public Contact Survey (PPCS) conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Characteristics of persons who experienced force by law enforcement and the types of contact during which force was experienced are discussed. This presentation also examines the types of force used in the incident and whether the resident considered the force to be excessive. It compares 2015 rates of nonfatal force by police to rates from 2011.

Authors

• Elizabeth Davis, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice

• Shelley S. Hyland, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice

• Lynn Langton, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice