The Characteristics of Macro-Level Studies of the Frequency of Homicides by the Police.

• In Event: Macro-level Analyses of Lethal Violence by the Police

Abstract

This research focuses on studies that seek to explain the relationship between variations in social conditions, agency policies and practices, and the frequency of police homicides. Between 1979 and 2022, these concerns generated 78 cross-sectional studies testing the empirical support for numerous macro-level hypotheses about the sources of variation in police homicide rates across U.S. jurisdictions. These studies were selected based on a keyword-based search of five bibliographic databases and reviews of 4,740 identified studies. This presentation describes the systematic processes and selection criteria used to identify macro-level studies for inclusion in this review. It also describes variations in the characteristics of the studies identified—the sources of data, the levels of aggregation, the years studied, the samples, statistical methods and measures used, and the hypotheses tested.

Authors

• Joel H. Garner, Justice Studies

• Kyle Maksuta, Western Kentucky University

• Christopher Maxwell, Michigan State University

• Yunhan Zhao, Colorado State University Pueblo