Please utilize this discussion board to answer the following questions. You will be graded on your answers, so please ensure you provide thoughtful and insightful answers. If you offer information that is not your original thought, please ensure you cite where your information was gathered and support your opinion. Additionally, ensure that you read the entire study, do not try and skim through the article and find answers, it will absolutely reflect in your answers, and thus, your grade will be impacted.
1) The researcher highlights some of the criticism of other research around police use of force. What are those critiques, and do you agree with the writer?
2) According to the research of Dr. David Makin, does race or gender impact police use of force?
3) What are some of the variables this study is missing which may not make the research results applicable to all police agencies and communities?
4) What are the two elements the researcher attempted to study in this paper?
5) The writer offers three hypotheses; what should or could be a fourth hypothesis based on the parameters of this research?
6) What was a common variable concerning suspect behavior in each of the UoF encounters?
7) What do you think are the most important results of this study and may be applicable to other police agencies and communities?
Article
Show Me What Happened: Analyzing Use of Force through Analysis of Body-Worn Camera Footage
Journal of Research in Crime and
Delinquency 2018, Vol. 55(1) 51-77
ª The Author(s) 2017
Reprints and permission: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0022427817701257
journals.sagepub.com/home/jrc
Dale W. Willits1 and David A. Makin1
Abstract
Objectives: Using temporal sequencing of unedited police body-worn camera (BWC) footage of use of force incidents, we test four hypotheses to under- stand how incident-characteristics influence use of force, duration of that force, and the type and severity of force used by police. Method: We code and analyze using data visualization techniques and regression analysis une- dited BWC footage involving use of force in a single police agency in the United States. Results: Use of force occurs relatively early in most interac- tions, though gender, race, and behavioral factors partially explain when and how much force is used. Regression results indicate that force is used more quickly against Black suspects and males. Suspect resistance predicts both time to force (TtF) and the duration of force applied. Finally, police are more likely to use greater levels of force in longer, more drawn-out inter- actions. Conclusions: Our results appear to support existing theories for disproportionate use of force, though we caution restraint in generalizing
1 Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
Corresponding Author:
Dale W. Willits, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Washington State Uni- versity, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
Email: [email protected]
52 Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 55(1)
our results. We find support only at our temporal level (TtF) and do not find support for the duration or severity of that force used. These temporal variables provide additional context toward better understanding and fur- ther contextualizing use of force by police.
Keywords
use of force, body-worn cameras, contextualizing use of force
Despite considerable interest in the use of force by police, much remains unknown about how and when police use force. This lack of knowledge can be traced to the type of data typically used to study police use of force. The literature on police use of force is inconsistent, with some research suggest- ing that suspect characteristics, including gender and race, and suspect behavior, including resistance, predict when and how force is used. Yet, other research runs contrary to this and challenges some of the commonly held assumptions on police use of force, namely, that police use of lethal force does not appear to be racially biased (Fryer 2016; James, James, and Vila 2016). Importantly, the works of Fryer (2016) and James et al. (2016) despite employing different techniques, with different samples, arrived at similar conclusions.
These studies are not immune to criticism, as the generalizability of
James et al. (2016) is cautioned (see Fridells [2016] essay on interpreting biased in the use of force literature) and early criticism (Feldman 2016; Phelps 2016) of Fryer (2016) speaks to issues with the reliability and inter- pretation of data. Yet, the discrepant results of Fryer (2016) and James et al. (2016) highlight that many issues related to the use of force by police are unresolved. A key challenge facing research on police use of force is that currently available public data focus narrowly on lethal incidents and are ill- suited for understanding police use of force (Barber et al. 2016; Fyfe 2002; Klinger 2008, 2012; Loftin et al. 2003; Mumola 2007) and yet considerable research uses such data (Jacobs 1998; Nowacki 2015; Smith 2004; Terrill and Reisig 2003; White 2001; Willits and Nowacki 2014).
We argue the coding and analysis of body-worn camera (BWC) footage is an important tool for understanding police use of force. Although some recent studies explore alternative data sources, including detailed depart- ment records (Fryer 2016), crowdsourced data (Ross 2015), and experi- ments (James et al. 2016), we suggest that filmed observations provide insights into force that cannot be captured by other data sources. While
