Police accounts of critical incidents: a descriptive and empirical assessment

ABSTRACT

Data from body-worn cameras (BWCs) have emerged as a new approach to measuring police activity. These data, in the form of video footage, represent a new method to systematically examine how critical incidents involving police unfold. Recently, law enforcement agencies have begun documenting and releasing elements of video and other data to offer the public their accounts of critical incidents involving police-citizen encounters. These include officer-involved shootings, use of force, and police activity involving protests and demonstrations. The current research analyzes these critical incidents in three interrelated ways: First, we describe the extent to which BWC footage is used in the critical incident accounts. Second, we assess the quality of the audio and video within the BWC footage that is released. Third, we closely code and analyze the data for patterns of police use of force and citizen resistance within the context of extant theories of use of force. The implications for policy and research, and the utility and limitations of this method for future research are considered.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical incident
• body-worn cameras
• video data analysis
• video footage

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Critical incidents are broadly defined as use of force, officer involved-shootings, and police activities involving protests and demonstrations.

2. https://www.bwctta.com/bwc-policy-and-implementation-program-sites

3. https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr/use-of-force

4. https://bjs.ojp.gov/data-collection/arrest-related-deaths-ard

5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/

6. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/series/counted-us-police-killings

7. https://www.statista.com/statistics/585152/people-shot-to-death-by-us-police-by-race/

Additional information

Funding

This article was supported in part by Grant No. 2019-BC-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to the CNA Corporation with Justice & Security Strategies, Inc. (JSS) and Arizona State University (ASU) as sub-recipients. BJA is a component of the US Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Points of view or opinions contained herein do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice.

Notes on contributors

Craig Uchida

Craig D. Uchida, Ph.D. is the President and Founder of Justice & Security Strategies. He has conducted research on use of force, body-worn cameras, collective efficacy, procedural justice, and other topics. Dr. Uchida has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, has edited two books and co-authored two other books. Dr. Uchida holds a doctorate and M.A. in Criminal Justice and Criminology from the University at Albany.

John McCluskey

John McCluskey, Ph.D. is Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Dr. McCluskey has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and government reports. His most recent research includes the study of body camera adoption in two divisions of LAPD. Dr. McCluskey earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and Criminology from the University at Albany.

Jonathan Kringen

Jonathan Kringen, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven. His research focuses on the impact of technology in policing. He holds a doctorate in criminal justice from Texas State University.

Anne Kringen

Anne Li Kringen, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven. A former police officer in Alexandria, VA her research focuses on organizational issues in policing, specifically factors issues that affect diversification and organizational development. She holds a doctorate in criminal justice from Texas State University.

Sean Kato

Sean Kato, B.S. is a Data Scientist with Justice & Security Strategies. He works on research grants related to homicide investigations, the implementation of body-worn cameras, and hot spot analysis. Mr. Kato holds a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Redlands.

Heleana Melendez

Heleana Melendez, M.S. is a Research Program Manager with Justice & Security Strategies. She works on research grants related to homicide investigations and the use of body-worn cameras. She holds a M.S. in Criminal Justice from California State University at Long Beach.

Jennifer Schmitz

Jennifer Schmitz, M.S. is a Research Associate with Justice & Security Strategies. She uses her computer mapping skills to assist the Bronx District Attorney’s Office and the Baltimore Police Department. Ms. Schmitz holds a B.S. and M.S. in Criminal Justice from the Rochester Institute of Technology.