Policing is partly characterized by the specialized knowledge and practice that it brings to problem-solving, conflict resolution, and risk management. Policing borrows extensively from other disciplines, including law, psychology, social work, medicine, and motor learning. Maintaining possession of this specialized and integrated body of knowledge is challenging and requires the police to engage in extended...Read More
Dr. Bill Lewinski, executive director of the Force Science Institute, sees clearly the “clinical” nature of law enforcement and the need for excellent decision-making: “The police world is just like other clinical professions. Officers must engage in educated assessments, decisions, and interventions.” Dr. Lewinski explained: “Before the police act, before any intervention, there is a...Read More
After decades of assessing law-enforcement training, the Force Science Institute (FS) continues to share some of its most compelling research findings. In this series, we introduced our research into traditional training methods and identified the circumstances under which simple and complex skills can quickly deteriorate (Part 1). We then detailed our assessment of police training...Read More
Part 3 of 4 | View Part 1 & Part 2 The 2015 Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Policing recommended federal funding “to promote consistent standards for high quality training” and to “develop rigorous training practices, evaluation, and development of curricula based on evidence-based practices.” To date, nothing has been developed regarding academy training. ...Read More
Part 2 of 4 | View Part 1 CHALLENGE The very first Force Science study on force training was commissioned to assess “use of force training” by a national police agency. The agency sought Force Science’s expertise on a comparison of arrest and control training programs in three countries (Canada, United States, and United Kingdom)...Read More
Do We Train to Assure Officer Success… or to “Check the Box?” Part 1 of 4 The average U.S. law enforcement department spends approximately one hundred thousand dollars, from application to academy graduation, preparing officers for the multiple demands they will face on a daily basis while working the street. They must know everything from...Read More
Preview reports on Force Science research findings regarding the public’s perceptions of police use of force, the retention rates of physical skills training, and the nature of unintentional discharges were showcased recently at major professional conferences in California and Minnesota. Thumbnail summaries: Civilian beliefs about use of force by police are often shockingly far from...Read More
Researchers with the Force Science Institute continue to bring a realistic perspective on law enforcement issues to the largely civilian academic community. Dr. John O’Neill and Dr. Dawn O’Neill of the Force Science staff made separate presentations in Denver recently at the annual convention of the prestigious Assn. of Behavior Analysis International. The convention attracted...Read More
In a close up gunfight, who stands a better chance of delivering an immediately fatal shot to the head: an officer who has completed typical police firearms training or a subject who has little or no experience with a handgun? Alarmingly, according to a newly published study by the Force Science Institute, the odds lie...Read More