Examining officer and citizen accounts of police use-of-force incidents

Citation

Donner, C.M. (2012), "Examining officer and citizen accounts of police use-of-force incidents", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 35 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm.2012.18135daa.006

Examining officer and citizen accounts of police use-of-force incidents

Article Type: Perspectives on policing From: Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, Volume 35, Issue 4.

Jeff Rojek, Geoffrey Alpert and Hayden SmithCrime & Delinquency2012Vol. 58Issue 2pp. 301-327

Empirical research has generated a substantial body of information regarding police use-of-force, as well as how the police and the public interact. This study furthers the literature by qualitatively analyzing accounts of the different ways in which officers and citizens interpret and report their interactions that result in the use-of-force. The authors argue that accounts, stories, or narratives can provide an excellent opportunity to describe and understand the ways in which police officers and citizens experience and identify use-of-force incidents.

The data for the research were derived from interviews of deputies from the Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff's Department who were involved in a documented use-of-force incident during the first six months of 2007. Additionally, data were derived from interviews with the citizens that they used force against. The agency provided the research team with use-of-force reports. During the time period, there were 105 use-of-force incidents. However, the research team was only able to examine 21 incidents that contained matched interviews of citizens and officers. In total, there are 45 interviews for these incidents, since three incidents contain interviews with two officers who were involved, resulting in 24 officer interviews and 21 citizen interviews.

The purpose of the interviews was to capture the complex details and perceptions of the use-of-force incidents from officers’ and citizens’ points of view. The interviews were guided by a semi-structured interview instrument that provided the respondents the opportunity to give explanations of the events in their own words.

The results demonstrate that officers and citizens view use-of-force encounters quite differently. Although officers and citizens tended to agree on the level of force from the officer, they did not agree on the level of resistance by the citizen. Citizens reported lower levels of resistance than the officers. For example, nine citizens reported “no resistance” compared to zero officers reporting the same level. Five citizens reported “passive resistance” compared to zero officers reporting the same level. Conversely, zero citizens reported “active aggression resistance” compared to six officers reporting the same level.

The findings of the research demonstrate that officers tend to justify their actions to maintain their authority. They consistently tried to explain their escalating combative behavior as based on a threat to themselves and/or the safety of the public. Citizen respondents, on the other hand, reported that they experienced a sense of victimization when they did not acquiesce to an officer's commands. They also reported that the escalating situations made them feel a sense of low status that did not provide a means to negotiate a way out of the encounter.

The authors conclude that a vicious cycle takes place. Police officers often share their accounts with other officers, and citizens tend to share their accounts with their families and friends. When biased perceptions are shared with receptive audiences, the perceptions resonate throughout the given social network (i.e. police department and community). The authors suggest that the continued sharing of the differing biased accounts (i.e. police thinking they are justified and citizens thinking they are victims) help to perpetuate unjust realities and poor police-community relations.

Christopher M. DonnerUniversity of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA