The prevalence of fatal police shootings by U.S. police, 2015–2016: Patterns and answers from a new data set
The prevalence of fatal police shootings by U.S. police, 2015–2016: Patterns and answers from a new data set
Publication date: Available online 10 May 2017 Source:Journal of Criminal Justice
Author(s): Jon M. Shane, Brian Lawton, Zoë Swenson
Purpose Previous studies on police use of fatal force in the United States are limited to specific cities or rely on aggregate data. This is the first analysis of its type to rely on incident-level national data and to establish base rates for police shooting fatalities. Methods Publicly available data from the Washington Post were used to model the data, which cover the period from January 2, 2015 to December 29, 2016 (n Results Although the data are limited, the patterns are not consistent with the national rhetoric that the police are killing Blacks, particularly unarmed Black men, more than others because of their race and that officer-involved shooting fatalities are increasing; fatalities are generally stable across both years. The data help establish national base rates for fatal police shootings, which has yet to be done. Conclusions The United States government should develop a nationwide use of force database to assist police executives, elected leaders and researchers in understanding police use of force. Future research should rely on the situational context of the shooting and the micro-level factors the courts consider when analyzing the legal aspects of use of force instead of sociodemographic factors.
Author(s): Jon M. Shane, Brian Lawton, Zoë Swenson