What if there was a social media page where police agencies could post video from body cams, along with detailed explanations of what’s happening in the footage? What if police trainers and other law enforcement experts could engage with curious civilians in a rational and reasonable dialogue about videos posted to social media? Imagine the...Read More
In the first study of its kind, a research team has comprehensively documented the risk of barbed darts from conducted electrical weapons penetrating the eyes of suspects. While certainly cringe-inducing, the risk, in fact, is small: only 1 in every 123,000 CEW discharges in the field results in eye injury, the study reports. But the...Read More
It’s all about a subject’s demeanor—not about race, ethnicity, or attire—when encounters with police escalate to violence, according to a new study from Washington State U. Activist groups and mainstream media, of course, tend to insist otherwise. But a research team that conducted the first controlled laboratory study comparing how behavior and visible characteristics influence...Read More
In Force Science News #358 [2/27/18], we reported a recommendation from police defense attorney Scott Wood that after an OIS the officer involved should actively invoke his or her constitutional right to remain silent until such time that he or she is ready to give a formal statement. If that is not done, Wood contends,...Read More
Watching cell phone footage of a use-of-force incident on social media is more likely to generate negative feelings toward the police than watching the same encounter on a conventional TV broadcast, according to a new study from researchers at Kentucky State U. Plus, social media viewers tend to be more likely to believe that officers...Read More
Some surprising findings are surfacing in the preliminary analyses of two new studies conducted by the Force Science Institute. One study concerns the speed with which a suspect can scramble up from a proned-out position to a flight-or-fight stance. Results are showing that the time involved is far shorter than you may think, despite positioning...Read More
A Force Science consultant spent nearly two hours recently talking about a critical four to six minutes. That’s the typical time law enforcement is on an injury scene before EMS personnel roll up to render medical care. And for a wounded officer or civilian whose life may be hanging in the balance, “that’s a huge...Read More
Now comes another study of how body-worn cameras impact police performance, this one suggesting that the public is correct in its general belief that body cams decrease complaints of officer misconduct and use of force. More than 400 patrol officers and sergeants from the Las Vegas Metropolitan PD—predominately white males with 9-10 years on the...Read More
“I wish every cop could get sued in federal court before you hit the street, because you would change the way you do things.” That’s police attorney Bruce Praet speaking, a former LEO, a defender of officers and agencies in legal actions for more than three decades, and co-founder of Lexipol, the prominent policy advisory...Read More
Two recent federal appellate decisions are good reminders of how US judges may assess claims of excessive force where unarmed suspects are involved. Atty. Michael Brave, always a popular legal updater at ILEETA conferences and other venues, tells Force Science News that these cases “have many learning points” for trainers, police attorneys, and street officers...Read More
