Do Policies Matter? Examining the Impact of Agency Written Policies on Officer Safety in U.S.

• In Event: Examining the Impact of Policy for Police Agencies

Abstract

Policing in the United States is structured by formal policies that regulate officer conduct and decision-making. Despite the growing body of research on law enforcement policies, fundamental questions remain regarding the variation in written policies across agencies and their implications for officer safety. This study investigates the typologies of written policies among U.S. law enforcement agencies, the extent to which agency characteristics shape these policy typologies, and whether policy typologies significantly predict rates of officer assaults and injuries. Using data from the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) and Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) datasets, this study employs latent class analysis to identify distinct policy typologies, multinomial regression to assess their relationship with agency characteristics, and negative binomial regression models to examine their predictive value for officer victimization. Preliminary results suggest that certain policy typologies—such as those emphasizing procedural restrictions or officer safety measures—may be associated with lower rates of officer assaults and injuries, independent of agency characteristics. By analyzing the role of written policies in shaping policing outcomes, this study seeks to advance research on law enforcement administration and oversight in shaping law enforcement practices.

Author

• Isaac Abayomi Akintoye, The Pennsylvania State University