Is Police Use of Force Responsive to Intervention? A Meta-Analysis of Experimental and Quasi-experimental Findings

• In Event: AIR Opportunity Fund: Investing in Evidence to Redesign Public Safety

Abstract

In 2022, 1,096 individuals were killed in fatal police shootings, setting the record for the highest number of individuals killed by police-involved shootings in one year (Washington Post “Police Shootings Database,” 2023). To facilitate police accountability and community engagement, several partners, from policymakers to practitioners, have proposed reforming police protocols with a specific focus on use-of-force policies. The American Institutes for Research is working to better understand the fast-changing landscape on effective police use of force interventions through the development of a living meta-analysis. The meta-analysis will initially focus on evaluations of use-of-force interventions that use high-quality research designs (randomized controlled trials and certain quasi-experimental methods) to understand impacts on the prevalence of use-of-force incidents. We will present preliminary findings from the initial meta-analysis, demonstrate how it will be made into a public-facing resource, and provide an overview of planned updates to the types of research studies that will be synthesized in the future.

Authors

• Abigail Jefferys, American Institutes for Research

• Samuel E. DeWitt, American Institutes for Research

• John Kochanek, American Institutes for Research