NCJ Number
133849
Date Published
1985
Length
284 pages
Annotation
This document examines police use of force from 1973 through 1979 in Rochester, New York.
Abstract
An analysis of over 2,000 reported use of force incidents shows police force is infrequent, occurring in less than two percent of total arrests, and primarily involving minor public order offenses. Results suggest that police are not selectively using force relative to the age, sex, and race of their opponents. Police attempts to control situations verbally often are ineffective: 83 percent of the opponents eventually attack the police. A high proportion of the opponents eventually attack the police. A high proportion of the opponents are inebriated, emotionally disturbed, or deranged which points to the need for further police training in interpersonal communication skills and crisis intervention techniques. Of the several measures of officer performance and personal characteristics examined, the most significant factors emerging as influencing the level of the police use of force are the age of the officer, the officer's age at appointment, and length of police service. High force officers are significantly younger, were appointed at a younger age, and have fewer years of police experience than low force officers. These results indicate that police use of force could be significantly minimized if the recruit entry age were raised to 25 or if younger recruits spent more time in training, had a longer period of supervised patrolling, or were assigned to other departmental functions prior to being assigned to patrol. 52 tables, 18 figures, appendix, and bibliography