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Individual and situational determinants of the use of deadly force: A simulation

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Abstract

The study of police use of deadly force is a complicated issue because of the scarcity of observed high-risk encounters in the field. The present research explores police shooting behavior in both life-threatening and non-life-threatening situations in a simulated environment. The results suggest that officers’ characteristics, such as race and gender, are not associated with officer shooting behavior. The one exception is that officers with less police experience show more restraint than veteran officers in responding to non-life threatening situations. Suspect demographics, such as race, gender, and age, show inconsistent relationships with officer shooting behavior. One consistent finding is that officers who show poor judgment, slow response, or poor marksmanship suffer a high casualty rate in reacting to life-threatening situations involving multiple suspects.

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  1. Western Carolina University, USA

    Taiping Ho

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Ho, T. Individual and situational determinants of the use of deadly force: A simulation. AJCJ 18, 41–60 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02887638

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