The Impact of Officer and Supervisor Training in Police Use of Force Incidents

• In Event: POL Panel 24. Police training: Gendered practices, new technology, competency development and use of force

Abstract

Egon Bittner (1970) defined the responsibility to use force as a defining characteristic of the American Police Officer. Since then, the responsibilities of sworn officers have increased while the use of force remains a unique responsibility. Agencies’ efforts to prepare officers for these encounters and in response to problematic encounters have often been to require additional training. While all officers within an agency may be required to take specific training, larger police agencies often have additional training that officers can take, or new training that was not previously available. This study seeks to examine the impact of these discretionary training, in addition to accounting for the training obtained by the officers’ immediate supervisors. This study examines the impact of these trainings both on the officer’s decision to use force, as well as the resistance of the citizen during these interactions.

Authors

• Hyeyoung Lim, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Brian Lawton, John Jay College of Criminal Justice