The Understated Ugly Side of Police-Citizen Encounters: When Officers Get Injured

• In Event: Police Use of Force: Tactics, Training and Liability

Abstract

Policing is one of the most dangerous occupations and is consistently placed in the top five occupations for injuries and fatalities as a result of occupational violence (Prenzler 2012). Police-citizen encounters that involve the use of force present a high risk of officers sustaining injuries. This study used official data from an Australian jurisdiction to explore injuries sustained by officers in 202 police-citizen encounters involving force. The study examined situational, suspect, and officer characteristics, as well as officers’ decision-making and the force level chosen relative to the suspects’ level of resistance. Multiple regression showed the factor most predictive of officer injury was police using lower levels of force compared to suspect resistance. Significant effects were also found for crime event and suspect related variables. The findings of this research can help to identify what types of incidents provide the greatest risk for police and develop risk minimization strategies.

Authors

• Kelly Amy Hine, Griffith University

• Louise Porter, Griffith University

• Nina Westera, Griffith University

• Geoffrey P. Alpert, University of South Carolina / Griffith University