RT Article
T1 The limits of deadly force databases for studying lethal force by police
JF The crime data handbook
SP 166
OP 177
A1 Jenkins, Bryce
A2 Semple, Tori
A2 Bennell, Craig
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1919221581
AB Although advocates have long been calling for comprehensive databases of deadly force by police, relatively little progress has been made. Given this, various bodies have stepped in to fill this gap (for example, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). While these efforts have been useful in providing the public with important information about fatal police shootings, existing databases are limited in various ways, especially when used for research purposes. For example, they exclude most police shootings and present a relatively small, non-random sample of situations where an officer discharges their firearm. Evidence suggests that fatal police shootings are not evenly distributed across jurisdictions, but the likelihood of mortality is explained by a range of factors, such as proximity to trauma centres, which leads to geographic variations in fatal shootings. Despite these types of limitations, researchers use these databases to study and make statements about police shootings, including how various reform efforts have influenced lethal force by police. The chapter discusses some of the limitations associated with existing deadly force databases and describes their implications for use-of-force research. Recommendations are presented for researchers who choose to use these sorts of databases for research. In the final section of the chapter, calls for a concerted effort to develop more comprehensive use-of-force databases and describes what they should include. Capturing all police shootings regardless of outcome, would provide a better understanding of the number of times officers discharge their firearm, and also minimize the impact of other limitations that characterize current deadly force databases.
NO Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 173-177
SN 9781529232042
K1 Police
K1 Data
K1 Violence
K1 Statistics
K1 Records
K1 Limitations
K1 Force
K1 Policing
K1 Research
K1 Shooting