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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 11:12 pm
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Results for police decision-making
12 results foundAuthor: Stone, Christopher, Chair Title: Reducing Inherent Danger: Report of the Task Force on Police-on-Police Shootings Summary: Since 1981, some 26 police officers across the United States have been shot and killed by fellow police officers who have mistaken them for dangerous criminals. These fatal shootings are doubly tragic, first because both the shooters and victims in such situations are risking their lives to enforce the law and protect the public, and second because many of these deaths are preventable. The dangers that give rise to these deaths are inherent in policing, but those dangers can be reduced and more deaths prevented. Over the last fifteen years, ten of the fourteen officers killed in these mistaken-identity, police-on-police shootings have been people of color. The two most recent of these fatal, police-on-police shootings took place in New York State, and in both cases the victims were off-duty, African-American police officers: Officer Christopher Ridley, killed in Westchester County (NY) in January 2008; and Officer Omar Edwards, killed in Harlem (NY)in May 2009. These two most recent tragedies reverberated powerfully, not only within the ranks of law enforcement but with the broader public. In press accounts, public debate, and informal conversations among police officers, we heard widespread speculation about the role that race may have played in these shootings, not based on any specific evidence of bias in these two cases, but emanating instead from the widely shared suspicion that race plays a role in many police confrontations, as it does in American society generally. This report examines the issues and implications arising from police-on-police shootings and confrontations, especially between on-duty and off-duty officers, between uniformed and undercover officers, and between officers of different races, nationalities and ethnicities, seeking to prevent such incidents in the future. Our work offers many lessons, from methods to improve training and tactics to defuse police-on-police confrontations before they become fatal and improve the investigation of police-on-police shootings, to procedures that can improve the treatment of the officers and families involved. Equally important, our work offers a chance to better understand the role of race in policing decisions generally and to identify specific actions that police agencies and government at every level can take to reduce the effect of racial bias, even unconscious racial bias, in police decisions to shoot in fast-moving, dangerous situations. Details: Albany, NY: New York State Task Force on Police-on-Police Shootings, 2010. 138p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 119525 Keywords: Police Decision-MakingPolice DiscretionPolice TrainingPolice Use of ForcePolice-on-Police Shootings |
Author: Feilzer, Martina Title: The Impact of Value Based Decision Making on Policing in North Wales Summary: This report summarises research examining the impact of value based decision making on front line policing practice; as well as its impact on front line policing staff‟s perception of their work. The research also considered the impact of value based decision making on the local community‟s evaluation of policing and the perception of police legitimacy; and the likelihood of the adoption of value based decision making increasing public confidence in the police. Value based decision making was introduced and rolled out to the whole of the North Wales Police force area in 2010. North Wales Police invested heavily in training all police staff and in total 76 training sessions were delivered and approximately 1,200 staff trained. Value based decision making is a decision making process and, in an organisational setting, has come to mean that all decisions made should be based on the values of the organisation. The process is designed to help deal with legitimate value conflicts or ambiguous situations in front line policing, such as conflicts between crime control focussed decisions and avoiding criminalisation where it serves no public interest. The research was carried out between October 2010 and August 2011 and consisted of number of research methods, including secondary data analysis, repeat interviews, and observational work. We observed training sessions for North Wales police staff; carried out repeat interviews with ten members of North Wales Police, a total of 30 interviews; analysed victim satisfaction surveys and the British Crime Survey; analysed a total of 45 sample cases dealt with under VBDM; and reviewed press coverage of North Wales Police. The introduction of value based decision making in North Wales Police mirrored a wider national trend to move away from a detection driven target culture and to return a degree of discretion to front line policing. The rationale for this shift in emphasis was to ensure that the scarce resources of policing are used to their best effect. North Wales Police implemented value based decision making as a formal decision making process with the aim of ensuring that discretion in front line policing was not completely unfettered but that there was discretion „with rules‟. The introduction of value based decision making which allowed front line police officers to make decisions and not to always act formally upon offences „detected‟ was seen to signify a culture change by senior North Wales Police management. While police staff generally welcomed an officially condoned return of discretion to the front line, their assessment of whether or not it constituted a culture change was mixed and generally more cautious. Some staff felt that they had always been able to use discretion and therefore considered the introduction of VBDM simply as confirmation as what they had been doing all along; others considered it to be a significant shift from the detection culture but one that they did not trust entirely. Police staff‟s understanding of VBDM was generally poor and some of this was due to the vague nature of the concept as well as the implementation process including the structure and content of the training sessions. Assessing the impact of value based decision making on those subjected to policing, as victims, offenders, or the general public is difficult. North Wales Police has not advertised the use of VBDM widely as far as could be ascertained from our exploratory media analysis. Additionally, only few members of the public would be exposed to VBDM in practice, mainly victims and offenders involved in minor crimes. As a result, it is unlikely that the effects of VBDM will be measurable in general public opinion surveys. However, it may be worthwhile monitoring user satisfaction surveys to assess whether non-detection under VBDM has an effect on levels of satisfaction with services received and, in particular, whether the rate of respondents indicating that „nothing had been done‟ increases. The impact of the introduction of value based decision making can be seen in a slight fall of the overall detection rate but its impact on police staff‟s assessment of their working practices was limited. A significant impact on public ratings of public confidence in North Wales Police is unlikely but there may be some measurable impact on user satisfaction. This is yet to be seen. Details: Gwynedd, Wales: School of Social Sciences, Bangor University, 2012. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed Mardh 18, 2013 at: http://wales.gov.uk/docs/caecd/research/130122-impact-value-based-decision-making-policing-north-wales-en.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://wales.gov.uk/docs/caecd/research/130122-impact-value-based-decision-making-policing-north-wales-en.pdf Shelf Number: 128008 Keywords: Police Decision-MakingPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPolicing (Wales, U.K.) |
Author: James, Lois Title: The Influence of Suspect Race and Ethnicity on Decisions to Shoot in a Deadly Force Judgment and Decision-Making Simulator Summary: During the past several decades substantial research has addressed the broad public concern that suspect race and ethnicity influences police use of deadly force. Previous research based on incident reports of police shootings and experimental research using still images as stimuli prompts have supported two, contrasting hypotheses: (1) that police in the United States disproportionally shoot Black suspects because of racial bias, or (2) that police disproportionally shoot Black suspects because they were more likely than Whites to constitute a threat. The goal of this dissertation was to shed empirical light on these competing hypotheses by advancing the methodological techniques used to examine the influence of suspect race and ethnicity on police use of deadly force. After developing and testing a novel set of sixty realistic, high definition video deadly force scenarios based on thirty years of official data on officer-involved shootings in the United States, three experiments were conducted testing participant responses to the scenarios in computerized simulators. In each experiment, participants were presented with White, Black and Hispanic suspects in potentially deadly situations. In the first experiment (n = 24), we found that participants took longer to shoot Black suspects than White or Hispanic suspects, were more likely to shoot unarmed White suspects than unarmed Black or Hispanic suspects, and were more likely to fail to shoot armed Black suspects than armed White or Hispanic suspects. In the second experiment (n = 48), we found that participants experienced higher levels of neurophysiological arousal in response to Black suspects than White or Hispanic suspects, but still took longest to shoot Black suspects. In the third experiment (n = 30), we found that across both fatigued and rested conditions participants took longer to shoot Black suspects than White or Hispanic suspects, and were more likely to shoot unarmed White suspects than unarmed Black or Hispanic suspects. In sum, this research demonstrated that neither of the two dominant hypotheses is sufficient to explain racial and ethnic bias in police use of deadly force. Despite evidence of implicit racial bias, participants displayed significant bias favoring Black suspects in their decisions to shoot. The results of these three experiments using a more externally valid research design have challenged the results of less robust experimental designs and have shed additional light on the broad issue of the role that status characteristics, such as race and ethnicity, play in the criminal justice system. Future research should assess whether this finding holds among other populations of research subjects, determine whether bias favoring Black suspects is a consequence of administrative measures (e.g., education, training, policies and laws), and identify the cognitive processes that underlie this phenomenon. Details: Pullman, WA: Washington State University, Department of Criminal Justice, 2011. 138p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 16, 2013 at: https://research.wsulibs.wsu.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/2376/3010/James_wsu_0251E_10245.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: https://research.wsulibs.wsu.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/2376/3010/James_wsu_0251E_10245.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 128384 Keywords: Police Decision-MakingPolice Use of Deadly ForcePolice Use of Force (U.S.)Racial Discrimination |
Author: Taylor, S. Caroline Title: Policing Just Outcomes: Improving the Police Response to Adults Reporting Sexual Assault Summary: The prevalence of sexual assault and its consequent harm to both individual victims and society as a whole has now been widely researched, documented and recognised in Western jurisdictions for generations. In particular, policing of this gendered5 crime has been the subject of many research endeavours and police organisations have increasingly opened their doors to academics and other researchers in pursuit of evidence-based knowledge that will assist them to enhance their training, investigations and Brief preparations in this respect. Victoria Police has been among the foresighted police organisations in this regard over the past several years. This report is the result of one major research endeavour concerning reports of sexual assault made by adults and the related police response, investigation and management involving Edith Cowan University in partnership with Victoria Police. This study was designed in terms of three strands, each of which incorporated a number of interrelated research programs. Strand one focused on victims/survivors and it proceeded through the use of an online survey and interviews of adult victims/survivors as well as focus groups and interviews of police officers in the State of Victoria and rape crisis counsellors from Centres Against Sexual Assault located across Victoria. Strand two focused on police decision-making processes and police networking in relation to complaints of sexual assault by adults. It proceeded through close reading of Victoria Police operational case files, individual interviews and focus groups involving police, and a focus group of Office of Public Prosecutions personnel. Strand three focused on the management of the police response and the recruitment, training and development of police for the specialist role of sexual assault policing. It proceeded through the use of strand two methods, as well as observation of Victoria Police training courses, police trainee feedback sheets and online survey, and interview of trainers in relation to the specialist sexual assault policing role. Details: Perth, Western Australia: Edith Cowan University, 2012. 411p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 13, 2014 at: http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/fcdc/inquiries/57th/Child_Abuse_Inquiry/Submissions/Professor_Caroline_Taylor_Appenedix_1.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Australia URL: http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/fcdc/inquiries/57th/Child_Abuse_Inquiry/Submissions/Professor_Caroline_Taylor_Appenedix_1.pdf Shelf Number: 133932 Keywords: Police AttitudesPolice Decision-MakingPolice InvestigationsRape (Australia)Sexual AssaultVictims of CrimesViolence Against Women |
Author: Alpert, Geoffrey P. Title: Measuring the impact of organisational culture and climate on police officers' decisions and behaviour Summary: The behaviour of police officers, particularly those at the operational frontline, attracts a high level of public scrutiny with frequent calls for increased accountability. The results of negative behaviour, or perceived faulty or biased decision-making, can affect the reputation of the whole organization and leave an enduring impression upon the public. Understanding the influences on police officer decision-making and behaviour, particularly those that an organization can change or control, can lead to optimal behaviour, improved police effectiveness and enhanced public confidence. This Working Paper looks at the police as an organization, and the influences on positive and negative officer decision making and behaviour, specifically detailing concepts of organizational culture and climate. Approaches to the measurement of these are outlined and the discussion concludes by proposing a mixed-method approach to understanding police culture to improve police behaviour. The behaviours of police vehicle accidents and the use of force are presented as examples to illustrate the approach Details: Mt Gravatt, QLD. : ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security, 2012. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper, Issue 1: Accessed March 19, 2015 at: http://www.ceps.edu.au/CMS/Uploads/file/GAlpert_JRojek_LPorter_issue1.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.ceps.edu.au/CMS/Uploads/file/GAlpert_JRojek_LPorter_issue1.pdf Shelf Number: 134974 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice BehaviorPolice CulturePolice Decision-MakingPolice Effectiveness |
Author: Moodie, Kristina Title: "Between a rock and a hard place": Responses to Offending in Residential Childcare Summary: There is current and ongoing concern regarding the potential criminalisation of looked after young people. To address these issues, CYCJ undertook a study which aimed to: gather more data about police contact for offending by young people in children's houses; explore how practitioners make, and are supported to make, the decision to involve the police in incidents; and to survey what formal policies are in place within each local authority to aid decision making. Details: Glasgow: Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice, 2016. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 1, 2016 at: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Responses-to-Offending-in-Residential-Childcare.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Responses-to-Offending-in-Residential-Childcare.pdf Shelf Number: 145787 Keywords: At-Risk YouthJuvenile DelinquentsPolice Decision-MakingPolice-Juvenile Relations |
Author: Bruce, David Title: Commissioners and commanders: Police leadership and the Marikana massacre Summary: This monograph examines the functioning of the police system, with a focus on the leadership and command levels, in the build-up to the Marikana massacre on 16 August 2012, when police killed 34 miners who were striking at the Lonmin platinum mine at Marikana. It considers events up to about 15:30 on Thursday, 16 August, which is when police launched their tactical intervention during which the massacre took place. The monograph examines decision making and the exercise of authority and influence by senior leadership of the South African Police Service (the SAPS), particularly the senior national and provincial leaders (National Commissioner Phiyega and North West Provincial Commissioner Zukiswa Mbombo), and senior SAPS commanders (Major Generals Mpembe and Annandale). The key findings of the Marikana Commission are summarised, followed by an overview of the conflict at the mine in August 2012. This conflict involved the strikers, mine management and two unions, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU). The monograph outlines some of the aspects of this conflict, including questions about the political alignment of the parties involved and how the strike, launched on Thursday 9 August, rapidly escalated into violence. The monograph then focuses on two critical shifts in the SAPS approach to the Marikana situation. Both these shifts were linked to the involvement of SAPS senior leaders, Phiyega and Mbombo, and are likely to have been influenced by their interactions with Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa. The first shift was on Monday, 13 August, after two SAPS members were killed by strikers. The strike then became the focus of intense national political and media attention; national police commanders, planners and units were brought in and Public Order Police (POP) commanders were marginalised from the command system. The second shift was a decision made on Wednesday, 15 August, that police would take action against the strikers on the following day if the strikers refused to disarm. The section on operational matters focuses on some of the nuts and bolts of the operation. A discussion of the planning of the intervention is relevant to examining how the police understood the situation they were confronting. This is followed by an analysis of the negotiation process that focused on persuading the strikers to disarm. It examines the fact that the strikers refused to disarm unless Lonmin negotiated with them. The SAPS conveyed the strikers’ message to Lonmin but refrained from exerting any pressure on Lonmin to comply with the strikers' request. This section of the monograph examines how the decision taken by SAPS senior leadership on Wednesday, 15 August affected both the planning and negotiations processes. It also informs the analysis of the actions of the SAPS commanders that follows. The penultimate section of the monograph focuses on the role the two senior commanders, Mpembe and Annandale, played in the operation before the tactical intervention. It explores the role they played in implementing the decision that had been made by the SAPS senior leadership that Wednesday, and whether they exercised their authority appropriately in this respect. The conclusion draws together this discussion with a focus on questions raised in the monograph about the SAPS commanders at Marikana. It recognises that their actions were affected not only by the senior leadership decision made on Wednesday but also by shifts in the nature of the operation that took place on the Monday prior to this. These not only created ambiguity about what type of operation was being conducted but also resulted in a blurring of lines of authority. The monograph ends by highlighting key issues raised, including: • Police positioning in relation to social conflict and the potential impact of political pressure. • Ensuring that senior leaders of the SAPS, as well as other people in leadership roles, are appropriately qualified. • The nature of decision making in the SAPS. • How leadership and command are exercised in large-scale public order and crowd management operations as well as minimum standards for ensuring that such operations are carried out professionally and conform with crowd management principles. • The need for the SAPS to recognise the principle that, in actions by the police where the use of lethal force is anticipated police should seek to resolve situations effectively while minimising the potential for having to use lethal force. The principle applies to all police actions of this kind and not only to crowd management. Details: Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies, 2017. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: ISS Monograph No. 194: Accessed February 13, 2017 at: https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/mono194-2.pdf Year: 2017 Country: South Africa URL: https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/mono194-2.pdf Shelf Number: 140903 Keywords: Crowd ControlPolice AdministrationPolice BehaviorPolice Decision-MakingPolice PerformancePolice Use of ForcePublic Disorder |
Author: Angel, Harry Title: Review of the Skills Perishability of Police "Use of Force" Skills Summary: Background This study was conducted for the Police Sector Council to help inform an impartial evidence-based recertification strategy for "use of force" training in Canada. The ultimate goal of the Police Sector Council is to establish national standards for skills training/maintenance that meet operational policing needs. The primary objectives of this study were to conduct a literature review and to conduct an interview-based survey noting the state of use of force training in Canada. The goals of the literature review were to identify factors that influence police skill perishability, identify empirical based evidence that supports the timing of police use of force skills refresher training and recertification and to identify teaching principles and techniques that will promote long term skill retention. The goals of the survey were to identify basic approaches used by training academies for use of force skill acquisition, identify refresher training approaches and finally identify empirical based evidence that supports the timing of police use of force skills refresher training and recertification. Method The literature review began with a systematic search of the relevant literature related to skills perishability, culminating in a preliminary review. This draft review was then distributed to a range of experts in a 2-day workshop conducted in May 2011. This workshop provided academics specializing in motor skills as well as use of force experts to discuss the preliminary review in order to further shape it, and to help identify a way ahead to address the police skills perishability problem. The interview survey began with attendance at a use of force expert workshop. Use of force skill perishability issues and lines of further investigation were identified. The interview process began with the development of an interview script and the identification of open and closed questions. The PSC provided contact information to a number of use of force trainers across Canada. Attempts were made to interview instructors that train their officers at each of the training academies. Telephone and physical interviews were conducted with training academy instructors and in-service training instructors. Key Results It is impossible to separate issues of skill retention from skill acquisition. There are a number of models relevant to skill acquisition, as well as a range of factors impact on skill acquisition. Several evidence-based best practices relevant to training skills and skill acquisition emerged from the literature and workshop discussions, including using a random rather than blocked practice approach when training, providing explicit knowledge of results to trainees early in training but decreasing as skills become automatic, and using high realism training. In general, the psychomotor skill retention literature is underdeveloped in the area of long term skill retention. Skills examined in many controlled studies are artificial in nature and do not reflect the complexity of the police use of force context. However, there is good agreement that characteristics of the individual (e.g., level of initial learning), the nature of the task (procedural skills fade faster than psychomotor skills, and mental tasks are better retained than psychomotor tasks; tasks with more steps are more subject to perishability), and the nature of training (e.g., regular refresher training, active participation, realistic training, and good quality feedback) are all critical factors that influence retention. Although there are few models that enable prediction of skills fading, the User Decision-Aid (UDA) model shows considerable promise. Literature relevant to transfer of training (i.e., the extent to which skills acquired during training are expressed in novel contexts) was also explored. This research also showed controlled but artificial studies that may not reflect the complexity of the police use of force context. However, some training principles were noted, including the importance of exposing trainees to as many different situations as possible to promote knowledge and skills transfer, and providing diverse cases or examples during training that are supported by trainer instruction and using simulation. Although existing research and literature provides some evidence of best practices in training psychomotor skills, when thinking about the application of use of force skills, it seems critical to understand not just the psychomotor aspects that influence skilled performance, but the larger context within which skills are expressed. Only this will yield an optimal understanding of use of force skills acquisition and retention. Conclusion In general, the policing skill retention literature is underdeveloped. Either due to a lack of funding, lack of academic access or due to the sensitivity of the subject itself, substantive research has not been undertaken. The state of Canadian police use of force skills perishability is currently unknown. Only isolated anecdotal information is available on the degree of refresher training across police agencies beyond their statutory requalification requirements. Empirical evidence justifying skill retention timings was not found. It is believed that the OODA Loop model is a more appropriate model for explaining the recognition and action components involved in psychomotor skills in the policing use of force context. The use of force experts workshop supported the view in many of the policing use of force publications that perception and decision making issues need to be addressed. Prior to any application of use of force techniques, the police officer needs to assess the situation and then make the decision to use the proper use of force technique. This suggests that the perishability of use of force skills will need to be addressed within a broader tactical decision-making context. Details: Guelph, Ontario: Humansystems Incorporated, 2012. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 21, 2017 at: http://www.policecouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Police-skills-perishability-final-Feb-2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.policecouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Police-skills-perishability-final-Feb-2012.pdf Shelf Number: 146307 Keywords: Police Decision-MakingPolice Education and Training Police Training Police Use of Force |
Author: Miller, Joel Title: College of Policing stop and search training experiment: Impact evaluation. Final report Summary: This report presents results from a randomised controlled trial of a pilot stop and search training programme. The training was designed to promote the non-discriminatory use of police stop and search powers, strengthen officers' knowledge and skills in applying reasonable suspicion, improve the treatment of members of the public and improve outcomes from encounters. It was led by the College of Policing (the College) in collaboration with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The pilot was carried out in six police forces within England and Wales. A total of 1,323 uniformed officers were included in the study. They were selected because they were regular users of stop and search powers. They were then randomly assigned to a treatment group that was targeted for the pilot training (87 per cent ultimately received training) or a control group that was not intended to receive the training (0.8 per cent received training). Here, we present the findings from an impact evaluation of the pilot based on three sources of data. These are: - Wave 1 survey, carried out a few days or weeks from the end of officers' pilot training - Wave 2 survey, initiated between about three and five months following the end of officers' training - data generated from police search records, drawing from the three calendar months prior to the beginning of training and the three calendar months following the completion of the bulk of training in each force. Analysis of the survey results tested hypotheses concerning the training's effects on officers' knowledge, attitudes and anticipated behaviours, while actual behaviours were measured through police stop and search records. Key findings, focused primarily on programme-level effects across the six forces, are presented below - Impacts on officers' preparation and knowledge - Compared to the control group, officers in the treatment group were a little less likely to report that prior stop and search training (including both pilot and other past training) had prepared them with relevant knowledge and skills, based on the Wave 1 survey. This suggests the pilot training compared unfavourably with officers' recollections of training earlier in their careers. - Officers' knowledge of stop and search regulations and policy was generally high and was a little higher in the treatment than control groups, as measured in both Wave 1 and Wave 2 surveys. This suggests that the pilot training improved officers' already strong stop and search knowledge and that this improvement was sustained over time. - In the Wave 2 survey, officers in the treatment group reported less confidence in the adequacy of grounds in written search records than the control group officers did. This suggests that they had become more stringent in their evaluation of grounds for searches. This effect was found for stronger and weaker grounds although there was some evidence that the effect was greater for weaker grounds. Impacts on officers' attitudes - In the Wave 1 survey, treatment group officers averaged slightly less support for police ethnic/racial stereotyping than control group officers, suggesting a small impact of pilot training, although support for ethnic/racial stereotyping was already low among officers. This variable was not measured in the Wave 2 survey. - In the Wave 1 survey, officers in the treatment group were a little less cynical about the prospect of policies regulating officer stop and search practices, suggesting a modest pilot training impact. This effect did not, however, endure to the Wave 2 survey. - In both Wave 1 and Wave 2 surveys, there was a somewhat lower level of support for high volume stop and search strategies in the treatment group compared to the control group. This suggests the pilot training prompted officers to favour a more selective use of stop and search in crime control. This effect was sustained to Wave 2 - In the Wave 1 survey, there were no differences between treatment and control groups in their support for procedural justice (ie, being respectful and fair) during stop and search. Consistent with this finding, the process evaluation showed that procedural justice was not a central feature of the training that was delivered (see Giacomantonio et al, 2016). Support for procedural justice was not measured in Wave 2. Impacts on officers' anticipated behaviours - When presented with a scenario involving the searching of a confrontational suspect in the Wave 1 survey, there were no clear differences between treatment and control group officers in how they said they would treat the suspect. This applied in relation to both procedural justice principles and the legal procedures used in encounters. - As expected, when asked the likelihood of them questioning potentially suspicious people in a range of different scenarios, there was little difference in response between treatment and control group officers. This was true for examples in both Wave 1 and Wave 2 surveys. This suggests the training did not adversely affect officers' anticipated willingness to intervene in situations. - When they were asked how likely they were to search suspicious people in the same scenarios, however, officers in the treatment group reported notably lower probabilities of doing so, in both Wave 1 and 2 surveys. This was true for scenarios involving suspected robbery or drugs offences as well as for both weaker grounds (as initially hypothesised) and stronger grounds. The effect was strongest for searching when the scenario involved the smell of cannabis as a key basis for suspicion, considered to represent weaker grounds. This may, in part, be due to the emphasis placed in the training on the smell of cannabis, in isolation, as constituting inadequate grounds for a search (see Giacomantonio et al, 2016). - Perhaps explaining the pilot training's effects on officers' anticipated search decisions, the Wave 2 survey showed that officers in the treatment group were less likely than those in the control group to evaluate grounds in the scenarios as adequate to justify a search. The survey, however, showed no differences between the groups in officers' declared willingness to conduct searches, provided grounds were present. - The Wave 1 survey randomly varied the scenario suspects - descriptions between 'black' and 'white' when asking officers about their stop and search decision-making. Officers were generally more likely to say they would question or search white suspects than black suspects. - There was, however, no statistically significant effect of training on ethnic/racial disparities in officers' anticipated stop and search decision-making. Impacts on recorded behaviours - Police data provided no strong evidence of a reduction in officers' search rates directly attributable to the training. There was, however, a small effect that was close to statistical significance, meaning it is possible the training had a marginal effect, in line with officers' responses to survey questions. - An analysis of officers' written grounds indicated no differences in their quality between treatment and control groups. This suggests the training had no impact on the types of searches being conducted or the detail provided by officers when recording their grounds. - Police data showed no effects of training on the proportion of searches resulting in arrests, suggesting that the training has produced no improvements in officer effectiveness. - Police data showed no effects of training on the ethnic/racial distribution of people searched. This was consistent with survey findings showing that the training had no effects on the use of ethnic/racial appearance in officers' decision-making when responding to written scenarios. Force-specific effects - Training was associated with more pronounced effects in some forces than others, although variations were not consistent across types of outcome. Key findings include: - Force E registered almost no statistically significant effects on the range of outcome variables. - Force D experienced the largest number of significant effects of treatment on knowledge and attitudes. - Statistically significant effects were found on at least some anticipated search behaviours for all forces, as measured by the surveys, except Force E. - There was, however, a lack of clear and consistent effects of training on actual officer behaviours, as recorded in police data, for any of the forces (apart from two isolated statistically significant effects). - Force-level differences may reflect variations in the implementation of training between sites. Forces, however, also varied in their geography and organisation which may have influenced how the training was received. Some differences may also be the product of chance variations between forces. Conclusions - While the training had some intended effects, these effects were not found for all objectives, were often modest when they were found, and were often inconsistent across forces. Moreover, there were few concrete effects of training found in measured street-level practice. This raises some questions about the utility of the training as it was formulated for the pilot. - Future stop and search training might usefully give greater emphasis to modelling behaviours in stop and search encounters, alongside abstract teaching about the use and regulation of stop and search powers. This could involve the use of role-plays, for example. - Future stop and search training should probably place greater emphasis on improving how officers interact with suspects, paying particular attention to procedural justice principles, given that the pilot training had no effects related to procedural justice. - A training package that also targeted force supervisors and managers might be more effective. Such an approach could involve education in auditing and supervising officers' use of stop and search, and developing supervisors' and managers' skills in encouraging and directing officers to adopt more effective and fairer stop and search practices. Details: London: Research Advisory Services, 2016. 61p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 29, 2017 at: http://whatworks.college.police.uk/Research/Documents/SS_training_IMPACT_EVALUATION_Final_report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://whatworks.college.police.uk/Research/Documents/SS_training_IMPACT_EVALUATION_Final_report.pdf Shelf Number: 146456 Keywords: Police BehaviorPolice Decision-MakingPolice Policies and PracticesPolice TrainingRacial Profiling in Law EnforcementStop and Search |
Author: Sacca, Giacomo Title: Not just another piece of equipment: an analysis for police body-worn camera policy decisions Summary: In the United States, law enforcement agencies are rapidly deploying body-worn cameras (BWCs) to increase organizational transparency and foster positive community relations. Proponents of the technology see BWCs as a tool to ensure police legitimacy and eliminate abusive conduct. Preliminary evidence identifies several benefits of using BWCs, such as: reduced citizen complaints, increased cooperation, and lower civil liability. However, emerging evidence suggests that the devices may be achieving the intended goals but with unintended consequences. BWC use may inadvertently increase use of force incidents and reduce the time that the police spend on de-escalating a situation. This thesis employs qualitative research methodology to examine how BWCs affect the ambiguous nature of police decision-making, as well as the effects of BWC use on the public, thereby investigating solutions for the frayed police-public relationship. By analyzing current data available on BWCs, examining information on human decision-making including heuristics, and completing a comparative analysis of a similar police technology-the vehicle dashboard camera-the thesis finds that BWC use can have different and changing impacts on police behavior, suggesting that variables related to human factors alter the dynamics of BWC use. The thesis provides recommendations that cover independent agency BWC evaluations, organizational training, limits on discretionary officer recording, and the practical application of automated camera systems. Details: Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2017. 148p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed February 23, 2018 at: https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/56797/17Dec_Sacca_Giacomo.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/56797/17Dec_Sacca_Giacomo.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 149231 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasCamerasPolice AccountabilityPolice BehaviorPolice Decision-MakingPolice LegitimacyPolice TechnologyPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Summerfield, Tansi Susan Lillian Title: Police Decision-Making: The Impact of Choice on the Use-of-Force Decisions Summary: Research on choice and decision-making has indicated that excessive choice can negatively influence decision-making performance. Choice overload research has mostly focused on consumer purchases, thereby limiting the generalizability to applied professional settings. This research examined 112 Canadian police cadets on decision-making in a use-of-force situation. Cadets interacted with a high threat virtual judgment scenario wherein they had to choose the most appropriate intervention option available to immobilize the subject and stop the threat. Cadets participated in one of two limited choice groups or one extensive choice group and were evaluated on performance, response time (RT), self-reported confidence, and physiological arousal. The goal of the research was to determine if choice overload occurs in applied police settings and whether increased arousal mediates the effect of choice on decisions. It was predicted that the participants with fewer choices would perform better, respond quicker, and be more confident than those with more choices and increased arousal would further decrease the extensive choice group's performance, RT, and confidence. Choice overload was observed, but not in the predicted way; results revealed that greater choice did not have detrimental effects on decision-making. Instead, the specific intervention option participants had available (OC-spray vs. pistol) influenced performance, speed, and confidence more than number of choices did. Results also indicated no consistent pattern of arousal. It is recommended that further research be conducted to determine what impact the different intervention options available have on decision-making in use-of-force situations. Details: Regina, SASK: University of Regina, 2017. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 19, 2018 at: https://ourspace.uregina.ca/handle/10294/7705 Year: 2017 Country: Canada URL: https://ourspace.uregina.ca/handle/10294/7705 Shelf Number: 149862 Keywords: Police Decision-MakingPolice DiscretionPolice Use of Force |
Author: Eiler, Brian A. Title: The Behavioral Dynamics of Shooter Bias in Virtual Reality: The Role of Race, Armed Status, and Distance on Threat Perception and Shooting Dynamics Summary: There are clear racial disparities in police violence such that being Black puts one at a higher risk of being killed by police (Mapping Police Violence, 2016). One hypothesized mechanism for this disparity is "shooter bias", which refers to the tendency to shoot unarmed Black men more often, and armed Black men more quickly, than Whites in a shoot/no-shoot task (Correll, Hudson, Guillermo, & Ma, 2014). The current project addressed four potential influences on threat perception and shooting decision-making (biological complexity, implicit racial bias, armed status, and distance). A novel, yet simple, bias awareness feedback method as a potential intervention to reduce discriminatory shooting was also tested. Participants viewed a series of Black and White, armed and unarmed avatars at various distance locations in two experiments. In Exp. 1, participants judged each avatar in terms of threat level while in Exp. 2, participants made shooting decisions, both in virtual reality using a hand held controller. Feedback was given on the shoot/no-shoot task between two trial blocks. Heart rate was measured via the Empatica E4 and implicit bias was measured via a mouse-tracking version of the IAT using the MouseTracker Software. Participants demonstrated stronger associations for stereotype congruent pairings of race and armed status and had higher heart rate during incongruent trial blocks of the IAT. In Exp. 1, results revealed main effects of distance, race, and armed status (no interaction effects) such that armed avatars and closer distances produced the highest threat ratings. White avatars were perceived as more threatening than Black avatars. In Exp. 2, results revealed that participants performed more accurately for White targets than Black targets and held the trigger down for longer (and were more variable) when the target was Black. These trigger pull dynamics were also related to dynamic measures of implicit bias. Finally, performance feedback, resulted in improved performance (i.e., correct shoot/no-shoot decisions). Moreover, participant post-feedback trigger pull dynamics were no longer associated with implicit bias. The results of the pre-experimental testing demonstrated that participant heart rate increased (i.e., higher arousal/stress) during stereotype incongruent trials, illustrating the potential link between arousal and implicit bias. Exp. 1 demonstrated that threat perception was related to armed status and distance. However, participants rated Whites avatars as more threatening than Black avatars, indicating that threat perception can be influenced by social desirability concerns (i.e., aversive racism. The results of Exp. 2, however, were largely consistent with the hypothesis that Black avatars would produce biased shooting performance and shooting dynamics compared to White avatars. The results of Exp. 2, also validated the modified VR paradigm for measuring shoot/no-shoot decision making and the more nuanced dynamical measures of shooter bias employed (i.e., trigger dynamics). Furthermore, results implicated trigger pull dynamics as the underlying link between implicit bias and shooting decision making. Importantly, the results of Exp. 2 also demonstrated that racial differences in shooting behavior may be altered by a simple bias awareness feedback intervention that disrupts the association between race and weapons. Details: Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati, 2017. 121p. Source: Internet Resource: May 17, 2018 at: https://etd.ohiolink.edu/pg_10?0::NO:10:P10_ACCESSION_NUM:ucin1511798377909988 Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://etd.ohiolink.edu/pg_10?0::NO:10:P10_ACCESSION_NUM:ucin1511798377909988 Shelf Number: 150255 Keywords: Deadly ForcePolice Decision-MakingPolice Use of ForcePolice ViolenceRacial Disparities |