Striking the Balance: The Association Between Police Use of Force Training Courses and Officer Behavior

• In Event: Police Training and Use of Force

Abstract

Police use of force has been a topic of study and discussion amongst scholars, practitioners, and society for decades. This is because the way officers apply force or other forms of coercion can have significant consequences for public safety and the communities they serve. In-service training plays a key role in shaping officers' decision-making and force practices. While some prior studies have explored police in-service training, most only focus on a singular type of course. By linking training data from a large Southwest police department with open-source use of force reports this study assesses the association between multiple force-related training courses and officer force behavior. The findings aim to inform police training practices by enhancing officer judgment and promoting appropriate force application, with broader implications for future research.

Author

• Jacob Terrell Foster, Arizona State University