A Spatial Exploration of Police Use of Force Incidents in a Mid-Sized Western City

• In Event: Police Brutality and Use of Deadly Force

Abstract

Police use of force incidents are rare events but they remain important in that they can quickly diminish the legitimacy of the police. Previous research has examined office, suspect, and situational characteristics, but little has been done in terms of the spatial distribution of events involving force. Are there geographic characteristics that facilitate police violence? To what extent do violent police incidents correlate spatially with areas with high crime rates or a specific crime problem? Using three years of use of force incidents from a medium-sized western city, this research looks at the spatial and structural characteristics of police use of force incidents

Authors

• Emmanuel P. Barthe, University of Nevada

• Jena Garrick, University of Nevada

• Matthew Leone, University of Nevada