Use of Force Training, Complaints, and Citizen View of Law Enforcers
Question
Crim
170 Final Project: Research Proposal
Paper
Requirements: This paper should be approximately 10-15 pages in length
with at least 6-7 pages of the paper consisting of the “Literature Review”
portion and the “Methods” section comprising the second majority of the paper.
Utilize APA guidance for font.
This
paper should include the following sections:
Introduction:
The introduction will typically encompass 1-2 pages and will
introduce your proposed research. The introduction should include a background
of the issue you are researching and some context for your proposal. Discuss
who would be interested in your research? Would it be applicable for other
researchers? Policy makers? Law Enforcement? Why would they be interested in
this area? Why is this research important? How does it add to the field?
Research Question: This section should only identify the research
question you intend to study. It needs to match the question you selected and
was approved at the beginning of the semester.
For this paper, I chose to organize my paper thematically. My research
proposal will focus on the following research questions that I intend to study:
1) How does the use of force training affect citizen or officer
perceptions of police encounters?
2) What is the impact of citizen complaints?
3) What types of incidents or situations are most amendable to use of
force training?
Literature Review: The Literature Review will identify what previous
research has uncovered.
Methods: The
Methods section will identify the type of study you are proposing, and the type
of analysis you wish to use. A helpful resource for the methods section can be
found here:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_the_social_sciences/writing_i
n_
psychology_experimental_report_writing/apa_sample_paper_experimental_psychology.html
Works Cited: The Works Cited should be completed using the APA
style formatting. It should include at least 7 current articles (published
within the last 7 years). The Works Cited is not included in the page
count.
You may want to ask “How Do I
Find Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles?” and that is a great question!
Try the Henry Madden Library website: https://guides.library.fresnostate.edu/english/findarticles


Solution
Use of Force Training,
Complaints, and Citizen View of Law Enforcers
Armed law
enforcement professionals confront a wide range of situations in their
professions when it is necessary to use force. This includes situations such as
making arrests, restraints of belligerent combatants, or suppressing a
disruptive protest. In addition, it may lead to public attention if excessive
force is used by police officers in situations when it would be unjustifiable
(Reemst & Fischer, 2016). As a result, the media, politicians, and, in some
instances, civil and criminal courts routinely pay attention to incidents in
which police officers use excessive force.
The use of
physical force by cops in a circumstance As a result of the heightened
scrutiny, the endeavor to understand the situations in which police employ
forcible restraint has intensified. The proposed study has been presented to
help police officers and officials make informed decisions about minimizing the
number of use-of-force events. Increasingly, police departments are
incorporating Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) development programs into their
academic curriculum to lessen the possibility that officers may use force
against citizens who have mental health issues (Zhao & Ren, 2016). However,
the police remain the state’s principal agent of aggressive power. Therefore, law
enforcement officers anticipate a moderate level of force during an arrest
based on current conditions. Additionally, police personnel can use reasonable
force to defend themselves and others from danger when required.
Undeniably,
there is an essential but little-discussed question in the literature on the
use of force: Citizen impressions of police interactions may be influenced by
police officers’ training in force. Do citizen complaints have an effect? Does
a significant section of the public object to police use a relative force
legally justifiable provided stringent qualifications, preparation, and
permissible rules that police personnel operate? However, there is a
disagreement between the legal police procedure and the public expectation of
police use of force.
Literature
Review
Police
brutality has been the subject of past research. Existing research on this
issue is being evaluated in retrospect by the general public, with most studies
focusing on the race and gender of people engaged. Misinformation and hyperbole
have flourished due to the public’s reluctance to let go of the information
they need (Shjarback, 2015). No one wants to take a position since there are
troubling events on both sides of the argument.
Demonstrators
from outside the local region sometimes react to the chance to criticize police
action without having any fundamental knowledge of the awful events that have
taken place. However, although some demonstrators have good intentions, others
are our democracy. Many instances of looting, burning, and inciting more
rioting during peaceful protests began as peaceful protests themselves (Lee,
Vaughn, & Lim, 2015). If the officer’s identity is made public, the
neighborhood or city often receives death threats.
The
profession of policing has undergone significant change from its beginnings to
preserve the property of a very rich Englishman. Private sector ideals replaced
the community policing ideology with Sir Robert Peel’s nine ethical policing
principles (Reemst & Fischer, 2016). The theory of community policing is
said to be based on this idealism.
There is a
tendency to replace proactive and community-oriented activities with reactive
and excluding ones. De-policing, in part, has come about as a consequence of
public skepticism and a public refusal to accept law enforcement’s right to due
process. Political leaders and activists have publicly chastised the police
profession even before the specifics of the critical incident have been made
public (Shim & Hoover, 2015). The public’s mistrust has only grown due to
the government’s unwillingness to be open and provide essential facts.
Survival has
been a common incentive, yet it is seldom discussed outside the law enforcement
community. According to Lee, Vaughn, and Lim (2015), the John Wayne syndrome is
a byproduct of police service and its associated closed culture. Cynicism and
authoritarianism in the form of masculinity hinder simple rationality from
being viewed as a proponent of what is to come. Closed policy enforcement
cultures have a lot of this mentality.
Under
stressful circumstances, police officers use their occupational discretion.
Research on how officers react to threats would be necessary to understand why
police behave as they do in protests and other criticizing situations. FBI
(2017) notes that Real Street cops perceive risk as a part of their job. Potential
risks are prevalent in the line of duty, and one has to utilize professional
training (Zhao & Ren, 2016). These abilities and approaches typically
engage teamwork, enhancing the connection between the professions.
Lee, Vaughn,
and Lim (2015) Police officers face assassinations every year in the police
community. When police officers get killed while doing their duties, it
horrifies the public. However, many of these tragedies get overshadowed by
conflicting societal objectives. Unfortunately, the number of police officer
killings from felonious ambush has increased over the last ten years and was
ranked the second leading cause of cop deaths in 2012 (Shjarback, 2015). When
it comes to law enforcement officers’ fatalities on the job, automobile
accidents remain the leading cause, followed by firearms-related violence.
However, ambush scenarios may be orchestrated, deliberate, or an act of chance,
as is generally described.
Adams and
Mastracci (2018) conducted a case study to identify geographical risk variables
for police assault and injuries. More than 40 attacks on law enforcers were
conducted by suspects fewer than 10 feet away. Therefore, if people ask for
help, they would want to be at least a few feet away from an officer to ensure
that they can respond quickly and effectively. In addition, it was shown that
the deadliest ambush on cops resulted in officers’ deaths.
On the other
hand, Shjarback’s (2015) evaluation of how real street cop sees violence risk.
Strong regard for human life pervades the police culture, and as a result,
officers are trained to use lethal force only as a last option. Reemst and
Fischer (2016) note that a person must have some life experience to handle
their psychological processes during a crisis. Veteran cops frequently have the
chance to replay particular events and gain knowledge and the ability to adjust
their actions based on prior results.
In many
cases, police officers will use lethal force even if there is no immediate
danger to themselves. To an observer, this concept would seem commendable.
Still, it had been a significant hindrance to a researcher due to the officer’s
responsibility to defend society from dangerous offenders, hence required to
apply lethal force in some instances (FBI, 2017). As long as there exists no
direct threat to the officer, this hesitancy would not endanger them.
Additionally,
various additional factors influence police brutality. There is a correlation
between disobedience to police directives, possession of a potentially lethal
weapon, and a hostile disposition in subjects. According to Zhao and Ren (2016),
in a new study, these motivators may influence officers’ use of force. Aside
from these, some additional factors might help forecast whether or not a crime
will be committed. Bad firearm handling practices are an often-overlooked
indicator. Teachers believe that gun handling abilities are repetitious and
need a thorough grasp of terminology and function. Gun-handling skills are prone
to deterioration, and many are unintentional.
Examining Police
Use of Force Guidelines to Make Sure They Meet Legal Standards
The Supreme
Court decision Graham v. Connor is the most crucial legal factor for police
personnel accused of excessive force (Mourtgos, Mayer, Wise, & O-Rourke,
2019). The Supreme Court provided a fractional list of the considerations to
consider when assessing whether or not police applying force is legally
justifiable. According to the court’s guidelines, law enforcement should use
force when facing danger and need self-defense or to save other officers
(Schwartz, 2016). However, the police have limited time to decide how much
force is necessary for complex, unpredictable, and fast shifting situations. Therefore,
the question of reasonableness has to be applied. As per Graham’s concept,
officers are not obligated to employ less invasive force when such force is justified
by the Fourth Amendment (Shim & Hoover, 2015). Forcing police to identify
and pick the least invasive option would compel them to exhibit superhuman
judgment in many cases, according to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Legally, the
Graham theory explains reasonableness in terms of objective judgment. So long
as we consider that any reasonable officer on the scene would have reached a
similar conclusion, people may consider this judgment objective (Zhao &
Ran., 2016). While Graham does not eliminate all subjectivity from human
evaluation, the decision provides an outline for assessing the law enforcer’s
actions depending on the scenario in which the officer finds himself rather
than the subjective intent or motive of the officer.
Officers of
the Law Involved in Misconduct
Dishonesty
by police officers harms their capacity to carry out their duties and preserve
public confidence, and it weakens the reliability of their agency. Discipline
in the police force is primarily intended to deter future misconduct. The
primary purpose of EIS is to utilize existing data to avoid the recurrence of
police wrongdoing by officers who have already been detected (Reemst &
Fischer, 2016). Statistics from a significant law enforcement division in the
United States showed that police who got hefty punishments were more likely to
face subsequent persistent complaints.
In the long
run, police wrongdoing undermines public trust and diminishes their authority.
While examining the efficiency of EIS with UOF misbehavior, previous EIS
records are utilized in a non-intrusive way to respect police officers’ privacy
(FBI, 2017). For EIS to positively impact, officials must see it as applicable.
Using EIS data to identify complaint characteristics and prevent crime is a
critical component of community policing (Chiaramonte, 2015). EIS files
connected to other databases may also be used for public policing and teaching.
Police officers have a higher chance of engaging in misconduct if they find EIS
unjust.
Deterrence
can also be found in an employee, support services, and risk assessment
programs, which have been shown to assist people and change ill workplace
behaviors. Both police and the general public benefit from the programs. The
development of community and police partnerships helps reduce police
misbehavior and promotes reform initiatives that benefit officers and citizens
(Reemst & Fischer, 2016). Using UOF by police has become less suitable as
the times have progressed.
Early
Intervention
EIS is a
system applied by the police department to gather, capture, and evaluate
records on police officer misconduct. The size, location, and jurisdiction of
the more than 12,000 agencies all have a role in determining the amount of
money, personnel, and technology available (Adams & Mastracci, 2018). In
addition, decentralization and standardization of EIS data make it challenging
to undertake the rigorous scientific examination.
Use of
Force EIS analysis that is thorough and extrapolative. In reviewing numerous
police groups in the US, the current EIS would be inadequate to pinpoint
at-risk cops. Police officer behavior changes and interventions at major
agencies have received the most attention from academics (Chiaramonte, 2015).
Nevertheless, smaller organizations with fewer resources may implement a formal
early warning system using models tailored to their specific requirements and
capabilities (Mourtgos, Mayer, Wise, & O-Rourke, 2019). It is possible to
tailor the categories, time ranges, and actions to match each organization’s
specific requirements.
EIS flag
cops that have been caught on camera abusing their authority. A blunder may
occur even under the most acceptable conditions. As a result, the system does
not allow for officer discretion or the specifics of a given scenario. As a
result, the cops are often violators and those engaged in the most severe
infractions (Mourtgos, Mayer, Wise, & O-Rourke, 2019). Labeling is
compatible with the phrase problem officer, which describes a condition of
being troublesome. Officers with performance issues communicate that training
may help them better and fix their mistakes.
Use of Force
The officer’s
safety, the safety of others, and the understanding of suspects are all served
by UOF. UOF has yet to have a standardized definition approved by the
government. In the case of occurrences involving excessive force by police
officers or situations involving police involvement, such as shootings.
Complaints per 100 sworn police officers in major agencies were 6.7 complaints
per 100 (FBI, 2017). Disciplinary action might be taken against the officers in
9 percent of these incidents.
Additionally,
with further study, EIS indications of high UOF may be more helpful in
identifying police violations and predicting police wrongdoing. Much research
has been conducted on the aspects that influence or characterize police
misconduct (Reemst & Fischer, 2016). However, data from an EIS data set
correlate significantly with police decision-making, indicating that additional
research into EIS data is needed.
Training and Complaints
All law
enforcement officials are required to undergo regular training. In addition to
education, training is linked to studies and the incidence of the application
of illegal force. The number of public complaints about using force may be
lower in departments with frequent training. Research on law enforcement training
has been lacking. EIS data collection and analysis may include officers with
more public complaints because of their increased productivity (Adams &
Mastracci, 2018). Data from the research show a deep connection between the
types of actions taken by an officer, the circumstances they were placed, and
the types of citizen complaints. It is common for UOF students to file
grievances, and those shown to be true might result in expensive legal bills,
extra training, or even changes to current regulations (Wood, Tyler, &
Papachristos, 2020). Fear of reprisal or shame may prevent members of certain
groups from coming forward with allegations of wrongdoing. Coercive tactics are
seldom documented or disseminated in American police organizations. A compilation
of existing historical data presents a data mining opportunity that might lead
to fresh insights into the issue of citizens’ concerns.
Race and Minority Ethnicity
Ethnicity is
often investigated when assessing the excessive application of force and incident
judgments. The people of color have a more undesirable perspective than whites
do of law enforcers and how they employ force (Zhao & Ren, 2016).
Well-known and well-documented anti-minority beliefs are commonly rooted in
racial discrimination perpetrated by the police, which dates back to slavery to
more than a century in the history of the United States.
Research
Methods
Methodology
This
research project will adopt a non-experimental design because of the risks and
ethical difficulties of manipulating variables in a simple experimental design.
Unlike practical techniques, no experimental methods lack the variables,
randomization, treatment, and control features present in testing procedures. For
example, any of the three categories of police trainers might compare and
contrast the influence of public views of attitudes toward various aspects of
the first responder profession. When doing a comparative descriptive research
study, a non-experimental design is regarded as advantageous since it avoids
the possibility of an ethical issue. Non-experimental designs describe,
forecast, or explain something without using experimental methods. Three
categories may describe and define a phenomenon and forecast other variables
that may arise in the research.
The study
will utilize contingency tables to show how the variables are interconnected.
The chi-square would be used to test the hypothesis that incidence was
predicted. Using chi-squared multiple regressions, we may test ideas and
estimate the magnitude of effects. It is possible to get the mean square by
using a more robust test strategy for the various variables.
A calendar
will be set up when it comes to collecting, analyzing, and reporting. SPSS software
will be used to analyze the data for this study. Data from secondary sources
would be used. To address the study questions and evaluate the hypotheses, EIS
databases of UOF information will be used. A limited amount of time and
resources may be used to gain expertise and improve EIS data output using
secondary data sets.
Collection of Data
Source of
Samples and Data
In
addressing concerns of accountability and openness, law enforcement authorities
publish data via various websites. There is a slew of national websites that
disseminate information on police enforcement. This research will use secondary
data available on the PDI website as our primary data set. Data from PDI may be
used by academics, technologists, and law enforcement authorities alike. This
research will focus on an agency in the Midwestern United States. More than
700,000 people live in 400 square kilometers served by 1,500 officers of this
organization.
It will take
roughly two weeks from data collection to the analysis time utilizing baseline
descriptive information. The total number of complaints from UOF citizens would
be considered. Comparing the UOF concerns to other complaints would be done. A
study’s dataset would be limited because of baseless allegations and cops who
did not break the law.
Conclusion
Maintaining
law and order is a difficult job in most democratic countries. Law enforcers
and their supervisors have a tough time enforcing the law because of the
conflict between legal standards and the changing and often legally incorrect
public expectations. Reducing excessive force and keeping police responsible
for their actions is essential to the professionalization of law and order
officers in the United States. However, this set of objectives matches
normative objectives already in existence throughout most of the nation. The
results on citizen attitude development would reveal an increasing gap between
legislative frameworks, professional rules of conduct, and the public about
officers’ use of force. To close the gap between law and society expectations
and objectives, a growing public program concern is required.
References
Adams, I., & Mastracci, S. (2018). Police
body-worn cameras: Effects on officers’ burnout and perceived organizational
support. Police quarterly, online edition: Retrieved on April 18, 2022 from
https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611118783987
Chiaramonte, P. (2015, February 15). Shoot or
don’t shoot: Police scenarios prove eye-opening for civil rights leaders.
Retrieved on April 18, 2022 from Retrieved from
https://www.foxnews.com/us/shoot-or-dont-shootpolice-scenarios-prove-eye-opening-for-civil-rights-leader
FBI. (2017). ucr.fbi.gov. Retrieved from Law
enforcement officers killed and assaulted 2016: Retrieved on April 18, 2022
from https://ucr.fbi.gov/leoka/201
Lee, H., Vaughn, M. S., & Lim, H. (2015).
The impact of neighborhood crime levels on police use of force: An examination
at micro and meso levels. Journal of Criminal Justice, 42, 491-499. Retrieved
on April 18, 2022 from
http://dx.doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2016.09.003
Mourtgos, S. M., Mayer, R. C., Wise, R. A.,
& O-Rourke, H. (2019). The overlooked perspective of police trust in the
public: Measurement and effects on police job behaviors. Criminal Justice
Policy Review.0887403419851850.
Reemst, L. V., & Fischer, T. F. (2016).
Experiencing external workplace violence: differences in indicators between
three types of emergency responders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence,
1-26.Retrieved on April 18, 2022 from
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260516657913
Schwartz, J. C. (2016). How Governments Pay:
Lawsuits, Budgets, and Police Reform. University of California Los Angeles Law
Review, 63, 1144. Retrieved from http://search-ebscohost-
Shim, H. S., Jo, Y., & Hoover, L. T.
(2015, July 9, 2015). Police transformational leadership and organizational
commitment. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and
Management, 38(4), 754-774. Retrieved on April 18, 2022 from
http://dx.doi.org/DOI: 10.1108/PIJPSM-05-2015-0066
Shjarback, J. A. (2015). “Emerging early
intervention systems: An agency-specific prepost comparison of formal citizen
complaints of use of force.” Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 9.4,
314-325. Retrieved on April 18, 2022 from doi:10.1093/police/pav006.
Wood, G., Tyler, T. R., & Papachristos,
A. V. (2020). Procedural justice training reduces police use of force and
complaints against officers. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, 117(18), 9815-9821. Retrieved on April 18, 2022 from https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920671117
Zhao, J., & Ren, L. (2016). Exploring
the Dimensions of Public Attitudes Toward the Police. Police Quarterly, 18(1),
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