SSGS300 Final Research Proposal

Abstract

Today, debates continue to ensue regarding the adoption of less lethal policies across all police departments in the U.S. Some of the less harmful devices suggested include pepper sprays, chemical sprays, impact projectiles, and electroshock weapons. Even so, several tools are still in the pipeline, and their development would stretch the array of less lethal weapons that police and other law enforcement agencies could use to address numerous situations. Lack of knowledge in the general public regarding the effectiveness of using less lethal modalities is the foundational motivation for this study. Experimental research design with interviews as the primary data collection tool will facilitate the completion of the research.

Keywords: Less lethal devices, lethal devices, law enforcement

Less than Lethal Force Used by Police

Introduction

Police officers handle challenging situations that demand the use of different types of weapons. Regardless of the nature of the situation, police officers have the responsibility to ensure that the issue at hand does not compromise the safety of the law offenders and the general public. Police need to use the most appropriate device depending on the behavior of the law offenders. Most importantly, the concerned officer must use the method that matches the action of the offender. The law only allows the officers to use lethal weapons when law offenders have the potential to endanger their life. In recent years, the high rates of deaths caused by police officers have evoked debates aimed at exploring the possibility of using less lethal weapons.

The fact that these devices are less lethal in comparison to firearms does not imply that they cannot cause physical and emotional harm. Therefore, their use must adhere to all precautionary regulations. The debates over the use of less lethal weapons in various law enforcement agencies and police departments continue to emanate. Most people lack knowledge on the effectiveness of using less lethal weapons as compared to using lethal weapons in maintaining law and order. Therefore, it is essential to conduct a study aimed at comparing the impact of using less lethal weapons and lethal weapons in ensuring adherence to the law. The findings established from the research could be instrumental in persuading police departments that are yet to adopt less lethal force policies to do so. In this light, the study will involve collecting data about the police activities in departments that have already adopted less lethal policies, including Boston, New York, Seattle, and Loss Angeles police departments. The findings will add to a large body of knowledge exploring the effectiveness of weapons by police officers along with fostering unification of policies regarding the use of less lethal weapons among police departments across the country.

Hypothesis/Problem Statement/Purpose Statement

Hypotheses are essential in providing the direction followed in conducting the study. The research seeks to address the lack of knowledge among the general public and some police departments regarding the varying effectiveness of using lethal and less lethal weapons by police officers. Conducting the study in the required manner will result in reliable evidence instrumental in formulating policies. The null and alternative hypotheses adopted for the research will be as follows:

H0: Using less lethal weapons improves the effectiveness of police officers in maintaining law and order.

H1: Using less lethal weapons improves the effectiveness of police officers in maintaining law and order.

Literature Review and Definitions Included in Research

The law enforcement agencies ensure the safety of all people by maintaining law and order. The socio-economic, political, technological, and socio-cultural advancement of a society is only possible under the prevalence of law and order. Therefore, police and other enforcement agencies play a central role in the development of society. Today, questions continue to exist regarding the use of lethal weapons by police in situations that do not necessarily require the use of firearms (Ferdik, Kaminski, Cooney, & Sevigny, 2014; Terrill & Paoline, 2017). The arguments have been raised challenging the concerned policymakers and stakeholders to formulate policies that would foster the use of less force by the police and other law enforcement agencies.

The recent events in the U.S have painted a clear yet disturbing picture of police brutality, especially against individuals from the African-American community. Given the high rates of death of Black suspects compared to White suspects at the hands of the police officers, the general public has been led to believe that racial bias influences officers’ behavior. However, a study by James, James, and Vila (2016) challenges the idea conveyed by the race-related debates. The study used a sample size of 80 officers and aimed to investigate their behavior in extreme realistic environments consisting of White and Black suspects. The study reveals that most officers are hesitant to shoot armed Black suspects in comparison to White armed suspects. Moreover, the findings show that the officers are less likely to use lethal weapons on unarmed Black suspects in comparison to unarmed White suspects.

The studies by Payne-James, Rivers, Green, and Johnston (2014) and Jetelina, Jennings, Bishopp, Piquero, and Reingle Gonzalez (2017) investigated the complexities of using less lethal and lethal weapons by police officers. In particular, the study by Jetelina et al. (2017) provides essential findings regarding officers-civilian sub-lethal interactions. The researchers reveal that 48% of forceful interactions occur between the White officers and the non-white civilians. Conversely, the study by Payne-James et al. (2014) shows that the use of less force over the years has improved the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies. Therefore, conducting this research will aim to advance the findings established from the previous studies and create the foundation for future studies.

Research Methods/Design

Experimental research design with interviews as the primary data collection tool will facilitate the completion of the research. The participants in the study will be drawn from four police departments that have implemented the less lethal policies, including Boston, New York, Seattle, and Loss Angeles police departments. In this light, the participants must have served at a time before the adoption of the less lethal policies. Having the experience of both periods would be crucial in the successful completion of the research. The open-ended interview questions would seek to foster flexibility in responses provided by the participants. Moreover, participants will be guaranteed confidentiality, and they will all sign the consent forms before partaking in the study.

References

Ferdik, F. V., Kaminski, R. J., Cooney, M. D., & Sevigny, E. L. (2014). The influence of agency policies on conducted energy device use and police use of lethal force. Police Quarterly, 17(4), 328-358.

James, L., James, S. M., & Vila, B. J. (2016). The reverse racism effect: Are cops more hesitant to shoot black than white suspects? Criminology & Public Policy, 15(2), 457-479.

Jetelina, K. K., Jennings, W. G., Bishopp, S. A., Piquero, A. R., & Reingle Gonzalez, J. M. (2017). Dissecting the complexities of the relationship between police officer–civilian race/ethnicity dyads and less-than-lethal use of force. American journal of public health, 107(7), 1164-1170.

Payne-James, J. J., Rivers, E., Green, P., & Johnston, A. (2014). Trends in less-lethal use of force techniques by police services within England and Wales: 2007–2011. Forensic science, medicine, and pathology, 10(1), 50-55.