The Impact of Agency Policies on Level of Force Used by Officers

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

Abstract

Calls for reform following recent high-profile deadly police-citizen encounters have sparked revisions to use of force (UOF) policies by many law enforcement agencies (LEAs). Evidence suggests that agency policies affect the incidence of agency aggregated counts and rates of UOF, but there is insufficient data showing whether policy influences officer decision-making beyond situational factors. In partnership with the Police Executive Research Forum, NORC collected data on over 4,000 police UOF incidents involving firearms and less-lethal weapons occurring between 2015 and 2019 from 26 LEAs across the U.S. The present study examined the impact of UOF policies on officer choice of weapon type in UOF incidents among 22 LEAs. Specific policy components examined included accreditation, whether the UOF policy requires attempts at de-escalation, and whether deadly force is permitted for misdemeanors. Officers in accredited LEAs were more likely to use ECW/CED than firearms. Officers in LEAs that require consideration of the subject’s mental health state were more likely to use chemical agents, CEW/CED, canine, and impact weapons than firearms. The effects of agency policy remain significant after controlling for situational factors. Findings will inform LEAs when determining which UOF policy components may be most impactful on officer behavior during citizen encounters.

Authors

• Jackie Sheridan-Johnson, NORC at the University of Chicago

• Weiwei Liu, NORC at the University of Chicago

• Veronica Pletsch, NORC at the University of Chicago

• Sharon R. Fairley, University of Chicago Law School

• Bruce Taylor, NORC at the University of Chicago