Race, crime, and the micro-ecology of deadly force

Limitations in data and research on the use of firearms by police officers in the United States preclude sound understanding of the determinants of deadly force in police work. The current study addresses these limitations with detailed case attributes and a microspatial analysis of police shootings...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Klinger, David (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2016
In: Criminology & public policy
Year: 2016, Volume: 15, Issue: 1, Pages: 193-222
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Keywords:
Firearms
Police work
Police officers
Polizeilicher Schußwaffengebrauch
Schußwaffengebrauch
Polizei
Schußwaffeneinsatz
Studie
Description
Summary:Limitations in data and research on the use of firearms by police officers in the United States preclude sound understanding of the determinants of deadly force in police work. The current study addresses these limitations with detailed case attributes and a microspatial analysis of police shootings in St. Louis, MO, between 2003 and 2012. The results indicate that neither the racial composition of neighborhoods nor their level of economic disadvantage directly increase the frequency of police shootings, whereas levels of violent crime do—but only to a point. Police shootings are less frequent in areas with the highest levels of criminal violence than in those with midlevels of violence. We offer a provisional interpretation of these results and call for replications in other settings.
ISSN:1745-9133
DOI:10.1111/1745-9133.12174