Police Shootings: A Public Health Problem for the United States of America

• In Event: Latina/o/x Criminology Panel #2

Abstract

Research on police shootings has increased in the last decade based on the benefits of crowd-sourced data that has been made available from websites such as Fatal Encounters, Fatal Force, and Mapping Police Violence. This study began by reviewing District Attorney case files in the city and county of Denver, Colorado. However, as the first author moved to different locations, based on the qualitative data gathered, they learned that officer-involved shootings varied by region of the United States. This initial work evolved into the present study, applying a mixed-method approach, involving quantifying qualitative data, and cross-checking this information with crowd-sourced data to compile a data management file for comparison. The three regions selected include the Rocky Mountains of Utah and Colorado, the U.S.-Mexico border of New Mexico and West Texas, and the South/Appalachia area of Tennessee. Major findings include the unique characteristics of each county and region of the country, along with various efforts to hold law enforcement agencies and officers accountable for the discretionary decisions they make on a regular basis. In conclusion, we emphasize how the United States stands far above its peers in terms of the number of police shootings that occur on an annual basis.

Authors

• Robert Durán, Texas A&M University

• Oralia Loza, University of Texas at El Paso