Measuring Racial Disparities in Police Use of Force: Methods Matter

ConclusionsGiven increased scrutiny of police activity by advocates and policymakers, it is important to understand how measurement and other analytic choices affect our understanding of equity in police practices. Our findings demonstrate that analytical decisions interact in complex ways and that standardization is essential when comparing multiple departments. We recommend comprehensive data collection that includes nonlethal as well as lethal force, and make recommendations for measuring and contextualizing racial disparities in UOF and other police activity.

Source: Journal of Quantitative Criminology - October 2, 2020 Category: Criminology Source Type: research