Excessive Force Research Articles

TacFR-Gripper: A Reconfigurable Fin-Ray-Based Gripper with Tactile Skin for In-Hand Manipulation

This paper introduces the TacFR-Gripper, a novel reconfigurable soft robotic gripper inspired by the Fin-Ray effect and equipped with tactile skin. The gripper incorporates a four-bar mechanism for accurate finger bending and a reconfigurable design to change the relative positions between the fingers and palm, enabling precise and adaptable object grasping. This 5-Degree-of-Freedom (DOF) soft gripper can facilitate dexterous manipulation of objects with diverse shapes and stiffness and is beneficial to the safe and efficient grasping of delicate objects. An array of Force Sensitive Resistor (FSR) sensors is embedded within each robotic fingertip to serve as the tactile skin, enabling the robot to perceive contact information during manipulation. Moreover, we implemented a threshold-based tactile perception approach to enable reliable grasping without accidental slip or excessive force. To verify the effectiveness of the TacFR-Gripper, we provide detailed workspace analysis to evaluate its grasping performance and conducted three experiments, including (i) assessing the grasp success rate across various everyday objects through different finger configurations, (ii) verifying the effectiveness of tactile skin with different control strategies in grasping, and (iii) evaluating the in-hand manipulation capabilities through object pose control. The experimental results indicate that the TacFR-Gripper can grasp a wide range of complex-shaped objects with a high success rate and deliver dexterous in-hand manipulation. Additionally, the integration of tactile skin is demonstrated to enhance grasp stability by incorporating tactile feedback during manipulations.

The Role of "The Talk" and Its Themes in Black Youths' Anticipatory Stress of Police Brutality.

Research on conversations between caregivers and their children about how to prepare or conduct themselves when stopped by police (ie, "the talk") has grown in recent years. However, little is known about how having "the talk" may influence youths' stress about future experiences of police brutality (ie, anticipatory stress of police brutality). The objective of the present study is to examine how youths' anticipatory stress regarding police brutality varies by whether they have had "the talk" with their caregivers. Data come from the Survey of Police-Adolescent Contact Experiences (SPACE), a cross-sectional survey of a community-based sample of Black youth aged 12 to 21years in Baltimore, Maryland (n = 339), collected from August 2022 to July 2023. Multivariable ordinary least squares regressions were conducted to (1) examine associations between "the talk" and anticipatory stress of police brutality among a sample of Black youth in Baltimore and (2) examine the associations between messages in "the talk" and anticipatory stress of police brutality among youth who received "the talk." Findings indicate that having "the talk" was associated with lower anticipatory stress of police brutality. Moreover, among youth who received "the talk," certain messages from parents during "the talk" were associated with significant increases in anticipatory stress of police brutality compared with other messages. Findings underscore the need for a nuanced understanding of "the talk's" broader implications on youth well-being and may be used to expand opportunities for youth to encounter affirmative racial socialization messages.

Percepciones sobre la violencia policial en la Ciudad de México: victimización, control social y percepciones negativas sobre la función policial

The main objective of this research is to analyze the factors associated with the perception of police violence in Mexico City. The proposed analytical model considers negative perceptions of the police function; the risk of victimization, as well as different forms of informal and formal social control among the explanatory factors associated with witnessing police violence in the city. The analytical model was contrasted with data from the 2022 National Survey of Victimization and Perception of Public Safety using a binomial logistic regression analysis. The results indicate that the perception of police violence in Mexico City is associated with the objective risk of victimization, negative perceptions about police performance, as well as neighborhood trust and the implementation of police strategies such as operations and proximity policing.

Effects of news coverage of police brutality: An experimental exploration of the attributions of victim race

ABSTRACT In recent years, police brutality has attracted the attention of the American public and media. Using the frameworks of cognitive accessibility and transportation, this study analyzes how a victim’s race can affect news readers’ evaluations of police brutality. Results show that those who read about a Black victim thought police brutality was a more important issue than those exposed to a White victim and indirectly felt less safe in their community. Transportation and perceptions of police justice mediated this effect. Those exposed to the Black victim experienced more transportation into the news article than those exposed to the White victim, and increased transportation was found to predict more perceived injustice. Additionally, many respondents, especially those who read about a Black victim, incorrectly identified the officer as White. Those who made this assumption of the officer’s race evaluated the officer in the article as more just compared to those who did not.

“They are unpredictable junkies and criminals”: George Floyd’s death and the BLM movement in Czech user discussions

ABSTRACT In this study, I analyze discussions on George Floyd's death and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement on the Czech news site idnes.cz. Given the cultural and political positioning of the Czech Republic as a post-socialist country, the events are reinterpreted, revealing a blend of admiration for neoliberalism coupled with a conviction of one's ability to see through any form of leftist ideology. The central argument is as follows: despite the “Left and its media” interpret the events as linked with systemic racism, and police brutality, idnes.cz readers assert that they are more about the willingness to respect societal rules – something neither Floyd nor BLM did. Emphases on neoliberal values are intertwined with color-blind racism, mutually confirming each other. The study employs corpus-based Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA).

Vicarious Experiences with Police Violence: Examining Psychosocial Factors that Predict Black Individuals’ Negative Affect and Intentions to Engage in Collective Action

In the present study, we examined whether willingness to participate in collective action and feelings of negative affect in response to the police killing of a Black man can be explained by individual differences in racial identity, identification with the shooting victim, and feeling personally threatened by the shooting incident. Participants ( N = 328 Black university students) completed online questionnaires after reading one of two non-fictional vignettes of a fatal police shooting of a Black American. Three components of racial identity were assessed (racial centrality, private regard, and public regard). Results indicated that all three racial identity variables predicted negative affect through a sequence of greater identification with the shooting victim and concerns about personal threat. When predicting collective action, however, only racial centrality predicted the outcome via these sequential mediators. Implications for research and theory on vicarious racism and the need for mental health resources in communities are discussed.

Post 9/11 Fiction: Questioning the real Fundamentalist Terrorist in Omer Shahid Hamid’s ‘The Prisoner’

The present study aims to investigate the concept of Fundamentalist i.e. terrorists (jihadis) in the contemporary criminal narrative The Prisoner by Omer Shahid Hamid. This text is ultimately a criminal discourse reeked with the world of crime, violence, murder, sex and pragmatisms of Karachi police and political parties. This study focuses on the violent doings of terrorists (jihadis) through the course of the text, while proving themselves the real Muslim fundamentalists in the name of Islam. It also intends to scaffold through strategic violent doings that how violence is administered on the pillars of religious ideology. It is an attempt to present the dual sides of the terrorists’ world (Jihadis) and their extremist ideology particularly through the character of Qari Saif. Besides, it also analyzes that how the protagonist, Akbar proves himself the real worldly Jihadi, not a fundamentalist one, by his confrontation with the criminals in the streets of Karachi and launching a worldly war against Karachi Mafia. Contextually, this study answers the basic question the text postulates that who is the real jihadi after all. Hence, the researchers, through textual arguments and arguments based on theoretical insights about fundamentalism, intend to present two types of jihadi: the fundamentalist and the worldly. This research is qualitative in design and is based on the conceptual framework build upon the textual clues. It will contribute to the body of Pakistani Literature on one hand and literature on Fundamentalism on the other hand.

Turning it on and off: a behavioural and situational comparison of non-fatal violence perpetrated by on- versus off-duty police officers

ABSTRACT Though research into police use of force continues to expand, analysis of off-duty police violence remains deficient and duty status comparisons of police violence are almost non-existent. Some argue that the broader policing context may ‘spill-over’ into off-duty settings, creating a consistency in police behaviour regardless of duty status. Others argue that off-duty police violence is vastly different from on-duty excessive force. The present study aimed to empirically compare extra-legal violence by police officers committed on- versus off-duty, to explore possible duty status differences in behaviours of the offending officers and the victims involved, as well as situational characteristics of the encounters. A sample of 119 cases (61 on-duty and 58 off-duty) of violence by Australian police officers that was determined to have violated law or policy was collected from open access sources (law reports and media articles) and content analysed. Chi-square analysis was used to select variables into three multivariate regression models to predict duty status from offender behaviour, victim behaviour, and individual/situational characteristics. A final regression model then included all resultant significant factors. The primary finding was the consistency across duty status in many aspects, particularly officer characteristics, despite some notable differences in context. The full model showed the factors most predictive of duty status to be offender verbal behaviour and handcuff use, and the situational characteristics of the number of offending officers present and whether the victim had been suspected of a crime. The behavioural consistency across duty status is discussed in terms of spill-over of police violence.

Quantitative Analysis of Quadriceps Forces in Adolescent Females during Running with Infrapatellar Straps.

Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is caused by high, repetitive, and continuous traction exerted by the quadriceps on the tibial tuberosity, primarily occurring in adolescents. Infrapatellar straps are commonly recommended for its prevention and treatment, yet their impact on quadriceps forces in adolescents remains unstudied. Furthermore, current research on OSD predominantly focuses on adolescent males, with limited attention to adolescent females, despite similar incidence rates in both groups. This study aimed to quantify the quadriceps forces during running, both with and without infrapatellar straps, in adolescent females. Kinematic data, ground reaction forces, and electromyography (EMG) data of knee muscles from 16 adolescent females were recorded as they ran at self-selected speeds with and without infrapatellar straps. OpenSim was employed to estimate quadriceps activations and forces, from which accumulated forces were derived. The simulation's reliability was validated by calculating the correlation between muscle activations obtained from OpenSim and EMG data, which revealed a strong correlation. Wearing infrapatellar straps during running decreased the peak and accumulated forces of the quadriceps (p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). The significant reduction in accumulated forces was associated with decreased vastus muscle forces during the stance phase (p = 0.002, p = 0.003, and p = 0.016 for vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius, respectively). The use of infrapatellar straps had limited effect on the rectus femoris muscle forces. The reliability of the simulation was validated through EMG data. Wearing infrapatellar straps may reduce the load exerted on the tibial tuberosity by decreasing vastus muscle forces during the stance phase. Adolescents aiming to reduce excessive rectus femoris muscle forces due to a shortened or tight rectus femoris, which may contribute to the occurrence of OSD, might experience limited benefits from wearing infrapatellar straps.

The Impact of State Laws on Officer-Involved Deaths (OIDs)

While the public debates whether law enforcement has a problem with mis- or over-using force, the field lacks critical information concerning how often officers use force when interacting with citizens. Moreover, researchers have not examined how differences in how states restrict officers’ ability to use force affect the frequency of force used. Consequently, the various reforms proposed have little evidence supporting them. Using data from Mapping Police Violence combined with census data, we examined the impact of the incorporation of U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence and the overall restrictiveness each state placed on law enforcement’s ability to use force when making an arrest and what constituted reasonable force within each state. We found that while the state’s population size and violent crime rate were strong predictors of the number and rate of officer-involved deaths (OIDs), state statutory restrictions on use of force had negligible effects. This has important implications for reforming state and national discussions around reforming use of force.

Design, fabrication, and testing of a new soft-pouch robot with 6 degrees of freedom to expand the reach of open and endonasal skull base approaches

OBJECTIVE Most robots currently used in neurosurgery aid surgeons in placing spinal hardware and guiding electrodes and biopsy probes toward brain targets. These robots are inflexible, cannot turn corners, and exert excessive force when dissecting and retracting brain tissue, limiting their applicability in cranial base surgery. In this study, the authors present a novel soft-pouch robot prototype driven by compressed air and capable of gentle tissue manipulation. The robot is manufactured with technology developed by the authors, with multiple bidirectional bending points and a miniature camera running through the robot’s central channel. METHODS A soft, pneumatically driven pouch manipulator was created using a novel rapid and scalable system (integrated multilayer pouch robots with inkjet-patterned thin films). Made from 4 layers of thin, low-density polyethylene films, the manipulator has a thin deflated profile (152 µm) and contains 5 independent bidirectional joints with 50° range in each direction, as well as a wrapping end-effector. The robot carries a camera through its central channel. Four cadaveric models were used to demonstrate the robotic prototype being maneuvered inside different anatomical structures during simulated endonasal and posterior fossa approaches, with a manually positioned robot base and manually controlled air pressures. RESULTS The robot is a pneumatically driven, soft-continuum manipulator with 12 control inputs and 6 independently controllable degrees of freedom. This design enables in-plane obstacle avoidance and orientation control. The robot is trapezoidal-shaped, with a total weight of 0.4 g, a 10-mm-wide distal end, and a length of 138 mm. The variable production cost (materials cost) of the manipulator is approximately $1. The manipulator is maneuvered to enter the maxillary sinus and through the endonasal corridor, demonstrating its potential use for anterior skull base approaches. It is also successfully maneuvered around the pons in a simulated retrosigmoid approach. CONCLUSIONS This robot offers a promising solution for safely maneuvering through narrow surgical windows encountered during skull base approaches. The multiple bending points of the robot, combined with its passive deformation capacity, allow it to turn around immovable structures, expanding the reach of surgical openings. The cost-effectiveness, rapid production, and scalability of the robot represent additional advantages.

Assessing Cyberattacks in Response to Police Actions in Physical Space

ABSTRACT RThere is little research considering the ways that local events in physical space trigger responses from ideological groups in online spaces. This study attempted to address this gap in the literature through the analysis of information from the Extremist Cybercrime Database (ECCD), a unique open-source repository of cyberattacks performed against U.S. targets from 1998 to 2020. This qualitative study focused on the language used during cyberattacks against police agencies by the hacker collective Anonymous. Evidence suggested that the attackers’ language reflected values observed in the hacker subculture to justify their attacks and incorporated negative language regarding law enforcement. This was particularly evident in cases of police excessive use of force against minority groups and emphasized the need for public protest and social change.

“The Need was F*cking Endless”: A Study of the Minneapolis Sanctuary Movement

ABSTRACT In May 2020, Minneapolis became the epicenter of a global movement challenging entrenched anti-Blackness and police violence after the murder of George Floyd, leading to demands to defund police departments and redistribute police officers’ mental health-related responsibilities to social workers. These events foregrounded dialogue about anti-carceral social work, a nascent area of social work. While empirical studies related to anti-carceral social work are lacking, this study addresses the gap by focusing on an episode in the Minneapolis Sanctuary Movement, a community-led effort to shelter hundreds of unhoused residents displaced by the National Guard during mass protests in 2020. Using constructivist grounded theory, intensive interviews with 17 organizers and volunteers were conducted centered on crisis relief efforts to create a shelter in a hotel in Minneapolis and challenges that surfaced. Results led to development of a grounded theory: Supporting Unhoused Residents in Minneapolis 2020: A Complex Path of Disillusionment.

Police Accountability and the Administration of Justice in Nigeria: A Case Study of Cross River State Command

The police are essential for maintaining law and order, yet they face frequent allegations of human rights violations in Nigeria. This study investigates the Cross River State Police Command, focusing on how their actions contribute to human rights abuses. Key objectives include exploring conditions in police custody, assessing the legal rights of suspects, and examining issues of unlawful arrests and detention. Utilizing Tom Tyler's Procedural Justice Theory (1990), the research employs a descriptive survey design, gathering qualitative data through interviews. Participants, including police officers, legal practitioners, and individuals who have experienced human rights violations in Cross River State, were selected through purposive and cluster sampling from three police stations across different senatorial districts. Data were transcribed and analyzed thematically. Findings reveal pervasive human rights abuses by the police, such as corruption, extortion, brutality, and excessive force, which have eroded public trust and impaired effective intelligence gathering. The study recommends enforcing accountability for corrupt practices and serious abuses like extrajudicial killings and torture, urging stringent legal consequences to dismantle the culture of impunity within the Nigeria Police Force. Received: 20 September 2024 / Accepted: 8 November 2024 / Published: 20 November 2024

Developing an optimization model for minimizing musculoskeletal stress in repetitive motion tasks

Repetitive motion tasks are widely prevalent in various industries, including manufacturing and office environments, often leading to significant musculoskeletal stress and associated injuries. The continuous nature of these tasks, coupled with improper posture, excessive force exertion, and inadequate rest periods, exacerbates the risk of long-term damage to muscles, joints, and tendons. This paper presents a novel approach to minimizing musculoskeletal stress by developing a Reinforcement Learning (RL)—based optimization model. The model dynamically adjusts real-time task parameters, such as posture, speed, and force exertion, to reduce joint load, muscle activation, and cumulative fatigue while maintaining task performance and productivity. Data was collected from 45 participants performing repetitive tasks in a controlled laboratory environment. Key biomechanical factors, including joint load, muscle activation, and cumulative fatigue, were measured using motion capture, electromyography (EMG), and force plate systems. The RL was trained and validated using this data, with significant improvements observed across all key metrics. The results demonstrated that the model achieved an average reduction of 25%–28% in joint load, 23%–29% in muscle activation, and 26%–28% in cumulative fatigue. In addition, task completion times and accuracy were maintained or improved, demonstrating the model’s effectiveness in balancing ergonomic benefits with productivity. This study provides an integrated approach to reducing musculoskeletal stress while ensuring task efficiency, offering a dynamic, data-driven solution that can be applied across various industries. The findings suggest that RL optimization can significantly improve worker health and task sustainability without compromising organizational performance.

Surgical Challenges for WIOL-CF® Dislocation without Capsular Bag Complex after Trauma: A Case Report

Purpose: To present a case of post-traumatic dislocation of the WIOL-CF&lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; accommodating intraocular lens (IOL), composed of hydrogel material and featuring a full-optic body design, in a vitrectomized eye, highlighting considerations for surgical correction.Case summary: A 54-year-old man with a history of left-eye WIOL-CF&lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; implantation and vitrectomy experienced sudden onset of vision deterioration in the left eye following trauma. The IOL was dislocated due to posterior capsule rupture, with the anterior capsulorhexis margin intact. The support-less circular design and material properties made it challenging to grasp the dislocated IOL in one attempt, and there was a risk of tearing when using intraocular forceps and an extrusion needle.Conclusions: The case of WIOL-CF&lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; dislocation without the capsular bag emphasizes the importance of considering the structural vulnerability and propensity for fragmentation of the IOL during removal. Adequate corneal incision size, active utilization of perfluorocarbon liquid to approximate the IOL to the anterior chamber, and gentle removal in one attempt without applying excessive force are crucial steps in the removal of a dislocated IOL.

OS ASPECTOS SOBRE A LEGITIMIDADE DA AÇÃO POLICIAL MILITAR E A RESPONSABILIDADE JUDICIAL: UMA ANÁLISE DA VIOLÊNCIA INSTITUCIONAL E DA IMPUNIDADE

The present study aimed to analyze aspects related to the legitimacy of military police actions and judicial accountability, focusing on institutional violence and impunity. The research begins by examining how the legitimacy of police actions is constructed and perceived by society, and it further investigates the legal consequences of police actions, especially when they involve abuse of authority or excessive use of force. In this context, it highlights the importance of assessing the legal and ethical boundaries of military police actions and the role of the justice system in holding these actions accountable. For the development of this study, a bibliographic and qualitative methodology was adopted. The analysis was based on existing literature on the topic, including legislation, academic articles, theses, dissertations, and other relevant documents. This approach allowed for an in-depth understanding of the historical, cultural, and institutional processes that influence both police conduct and the judicial system's response in cases of institutional violence.The results indicate that, in many cases, there is a gap between what is established by law and the actual practices on the streets, particularly regarding the use of force and abuses committed by certain security agents. It was observed that impunity in specific cases of police violence generates a perception of distrust in society toward the institutions responsible for enforcing the law, which directly impacts the legitimacy of police actions.

The relationships between law enforcement authorities and underground raves: a case study of OTUM rave festival in the Maldives

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the relationship between underground raves and law enforcement authorities. It is centred on the police raid of the OTUM rave festival held on the uninhabited island of Anbaraa in the Maldives, specifically focusing on the perceptions of ravers present during the raid of the OTUM rave festival. The data on which this paper is based stems from open-ended interviews with ravers who were present during the raid. Ravers felt that police used excessive force at the rave festival. They arrested 79 ravers for possessing recreational substances, including LSD, cannabis, and ecstasy. The police raided the rave festival due to pressure from religious clerics and to appease the more conservative members of the mainstream society. The results from this study suggest that treating ravers as criminals and threatening them with imprisonment creates a disconnection between the underground rave community and the mainstream society, widening rather than healing divides and reinforcing ideas of deviance and resistance.

Samantha J. Simon, Before the Badge: How Academy Training Shapes Police Violence

Samantha J. Simon, <i>Before the Badge: How Academy Training Shapes Police Violence</i>

The Influence of Group Identification and Morality in Support for Defunding the Police

There is very little research regarding what factors drive support for defunding the police. Using the theoretical framework of the Group Engagement Model and the Moral Foundations Theory, this study explores if and how race, group identification, and morality shape support for defunding the police. Results indicated that increased superordinate identification and binding moral foundations reduced support for defunding the police among White respondents. For Black respondents, increased subordinate identification explains their increased support for defunding the police. Attachment to one’s racial group and concerns for its welfare coupled with moral intuitions driven by care and fairness toward victims of police brutality who are disproportionately Black explains why Blacks Americans began and support calls to defund the police.