Abstract
The use of force by police continues to be an important criminal justice and public policy issue. As potential abuses of force by police have come under scrutiny in recent years, law enforcement agencies have struggled to find safe and effective mechanisms for controlling resistant or violent suspects. Relying on self-report questionnaires completed by Henrico County, Virginia police officers in the summer of 1999, we examined the effectiveness of police use of force in arrest situations. We found that Henrico County officers used force (more than a gentle hold) in approximately 23% of all tactics employed when making arrests. Officers also reported high levels of effectiveness for all types of verbal direction and physical force. Both suspect and officer injuries were rare, with only a small number of minor injuries reported. We conclude that officer expectations and training regarding the use of force should be brought into line with the reality that most arrests will be nonviolent and will not require the application of physical force.
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