Managing Officer Behavioural Risk Using Early Intervention Systems: Addressing System Design Challenges for Law Enforcement and Corrections Environments

• NCJ Number: 252242
• Date Published: March 2017
• Author(s): Brian A. Jackson; Vivian Lau Towe; Lisa Wagner; Priscillia Hunt; Sarah Greathouse; John S. Hollywood
• Length: 15 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2011-IJ-CX-K052
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description

Annotation

This article describes the development of an early intervention system for law enforcement and corrections officers who engage in behaviors of concern, using data from officers severely disciplined or terminated for various reasons and examining a range of indicators associated with these outcomes.

Abstract

Since inappropriate and illegal behavior by officers in criminal justice agencies seriously undermines their ability to fulfill their roles and maintain public trust, identifying problematic officers to enable early intervention has become a priority in both departmental management and agency oversight. Officer use of force incidents have been widely used as indicators to flag officers by such systems. Although officers who use force frequently or receive many citizen complaints are a concern, such incidents are unlikely to be sufficient to address the full range of officer behaviors of concern. The system proposed in this article provides a broader assessment of officer problem behaviors and attitudes. (Publisher abstract modified)