Police Compliance Research Articles

Conductive Electrical Devices: A Prospective, Population-Based Study of the Medical Safety of Law Enforcement Use

To examine police compliance with policies for the proper use of conductive electrical devices (CEDs) and, in turn, track any associated medical events following CED application. Prospective, population-based, 15-month study of police activations of CEDs after their introduction into the police force of a large U.S. city (residential population, 1.25 million). Local policy for use was consistent with the recommendations of International Association of Chiefs of Police. Data collected included age, sex, predefined rationale for use, target distance, activation duration, total energy delivered, policy compliance, and medical findings or events within the first 12 hours. Among 426 consecutive CED activations (November 1, 2004 through January 31, 2006), the suspects' mean age (years +/- standard deviation) was 30 +/- 10 (range, 13-72) years and 90.4% were male. Suspects' mean distance from the officer was 5.0 +/- 4.5 feet (range, 0-21). Reasons for use included: evading or resisting arrest (33.3%, n = 142), public intoxication or disorderly conduct (15.8%, n = 76), interrupting a felony in progress (9.3%, n = 45), and interrupting an assault on an officer or public servant (6.0%, n = 29). Mean total duration of exposures was 8.6 +/- 5.9 seconds, and total energy delivered per suspect was 227 +/- 156 joules. Officers followed policy in all cases and, accordingly, all suspects rapidly received medical evaluation or simple first aid. No suspect required further treatment except one who was later found to have severe toxic hyperthermia and who died within 2 hours of activation despite rapid on-scene intervention. In 5.4% of deployments (n = 23), CED use was deemed to have clearly prevented the use of lethal force by police. Police were compliant with policy in all cases, and, in addition to avoiding the use of lethal force in a significant number of circumstances, the safety of CED use was demonstrated despite one death subsequently attributed to lethal toxic hyperthermia. Collaborative nationwide research using similar registries is strongly recommended to document compliance and ensure ongoing safety monitoring.

Implementing Human Rights and the Societal Impediments to Sustainable Change in Latin America

This article deals with the importance and difficulty of implementing and enforcing human rights values, standards, and norms to protect people from abuse by state institutions. The responsibility of the state in maintaining order and implementing the rule of law is acknowledged. This is then extended to one of the state agencies charged with the maintenance of public order: the police. Police compliance with human rights standards is imperative if human rights are to be protected. This article discusses what police compliance with certain rights could entail. This is followed by a look at the role of the police in society and the societal and institutional realities that impede the implementation of police human rights strategies in Latin America. The implementation of these strategies have sparked debates on the implementation of human rights, inequality, security, and the hurdles to police reform in Latin America.

The Impact of Relationship Status, Gender, and Minor Status in the Police Response to Domestic Assaults

Data from police records on 320 domestic violence calls for assistance collected during a four-month period from five jurisdictions operating under a pro-arrest statute in a Northeastern state were examined to determine the distribution of incidents by victim-suspect household relationship. It was hypothesized that, despite the lack of any statutory distinction, police compliance with the requirements of a pro-arrest statute—and mandatory arrest policies—would be higher in incidents involving a parent complainant than in incidents between other household members. Logistic and ordinary least-squares regression indicated that the odds of arrest for cases of child to parent and sibling assault were significantly higher than for other kinds of relationships, especially adult partner cases. Analyses also revealed that police compliance with victim assistance actions was significantly less likely for victims of parent to child and sibling violence relative to other victim-suspect relationships. The police were also more legalistic in the application of the statute to both female victims and female suspects. The implications of the increased role of extra-legal variables in the arrest decision (i.e. age, gender and relationship status) and the police support of parental authority are examined.

Lawful Policing

Police compliance with the law is one of the most important aspects of a democratic society. Americans expect the police to enforce laws to promote safety and to reduce crime, victimization, and fear, but no one believes that the police should have unlimited power to do so. We expect police to enforce laws fairly according to law and rules that circumscribe their enforcement powers. The existence of these rules justify the claim that police are a rule-bound institution engaged in the pursuit of justice and the protection of individual liberties, as well as the battle against crime. This article reviews research on the extent to which police follow laws and rules, especially constitutional criminal procedure rules, addressing seizures, searches, interrogations, and deadly force. Also reviewed is research pertaining to police adherence to rules governing excessive force, corruption, and racial profiling.

Gender Discrimination and Regulatory Behaviour: An Exploratory Study in Policing

This paper examines the relationship between police departments and equity agencies in Australia. Previous research has shown marked differences in the performance of police in fulfilling the requirements of equity legislation. Responsibility for ensuring compliance with antidiscrimination and affirmative action legislation rests with equity agencies — which ‘police the police’. The paper reports the results from a survey of these agencies to obtain their accounts of factors facilitating or hindering police compliance. These factors are framed in terms of agency powers, resources, regulatory strategies and police responses. The study found that regulatory agencies were highly detached from police departments and that differences in compliance were largely the result of factors independent of regulatory action. A ‘culture of under-enforcement’ remained as the most likely explanation for regulatory failure. The paper concludes by emphasising the need for more active monitoring and a more confrontational approach to under-achieving departments.

The German police in Belorussia, 1941‐1944, part III: Methods of genocide and the motives of German police compliance

(2001). The German police in Belorussia, 1941‐1944, part III: Methods of genocide and the motives of German police compliance. Journal of Genocide Research: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 391-403.

The Use of Lethal Force by Police: The Effect of Statutory Change

Police shootings in Philadelphia over the period 1970-1978 are examined. Descriptive data detailing the incident characteristics of the 459 police shootings that occurred during the period are presented. The data permit an assessment of the justificability of the schooting incidents that is grounded in the governing legal statutes. In addition, the article addresses the issue of police compliance with statutory changes. It is suggested that a department's administrative posture toward firearms use by officers may be more relavant to effective control than statutory change.