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Investigations

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I’m Right. You’re Wrong: Naïve Realism in Force Reviews

You’re teaching your child to tie their shoes for the first time. With your parent’s help, you’ve long since mastered the task—you were a brilliant, model student. Now it’s your turn. With your clear, expert instructions, your child will understand and perform flawlessly. For good measure, you repeat your instructions, your child nodding in agreement....
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Watching Video Evidence Before Providing a Use of Force Statement

(Editor’s note 3/28/2022: This article was edited to acknowledge the competing approaches to video review during use of force investigations, update citations, and clarify the IACP’s 2014 model policy language and position paper. Force Science recognizes that the memory-enhancing value of watching videos must be balanced against the risk of memory corruption and the need...
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Association of Force Investigators (AFI)

The Association of Force Investigators (AFI) is a new association formed to provide training and support for force investigators. AFI brings together local, national, and international police use-of-force experts, including human factors researchers, attorneys, psychologists, use-of-force investigators, and trainers. Through a secure online platform, members can network, communicate, and share resources. Leading experts provide specialized...
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New Assault Studies Ready for Publication

The Force Science Institute has completed three new studies on the speed and movements associated with armed assaults. Dr. Bill Lewinski explained: “The goal of our research was to obtain highly accurate measurements to further explore the findings of our earlier studies. Where we once measured movement speeds in the hundredths of a second, we...
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Should Cops See Body Cam Video Before Giving Use Of Force Statements?

A recent webinar on the hot question of whether officers should be allowed to review body cam video before giving statements on use-of-force incidents features a spirited clash of opinions among two law enforcement lawyers and a forensics expert, but in the end offers agreement on two critical points: To avoid potentially damaging pitfalls, officers...
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Building Articulation While The Camera Rolls

When it comes to body cams and dash cams, don’t rely on the video alone to tell your side of the story. Your verbal narration as the action unfolds can be a critical component of what the device records, advises Dep. Chief William Mazur of the Atlantic City (NJ) PD. Mazur is an instructor with...
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Force Science Gradudate Finds Hidden Truth In “Incriminating” Video

Part of a continuing series of FS successes What started as a simple FI regarding a possible curfew violation ended up with a “massive” dent in the hood of a patrol car, caused by an officer slamming a suspect face-down into the metal. The officer insisted he’d reacted to feeling “resistive tension” from an uncooperative...
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Police Attorney Offers “Best Practices” Tips To Civil Rights Overseers + “Unleashing Respect” Launched

Last November, the Civil Rights Division of the US DOJ sent a 9-page “technical assistance” document to the mayor of Seattle, emphatically recommending certain changes in how the city’s police department investigates officer-involved shootings. This communiqué is part of an ongoing federal scrutiny of the PD, underway for nearly a year, to “ensure compliance with...
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Cops Not Guilty Of Unreasonable Force In Mistaken Killing Of Child Hostage: Appeals Court

An internationally publicized case of a tragic shooting in which Force Science testimony was given has been decided by a California appellate court in favor of the involved officers. Controversial from the beginning, the headline-grabbing case concerned a tense standoff between LAPD SWAT and a drug-deranged father who was holding his 19-month-old daughter in his...
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Recent Developments In Post-OIS Procedures: Tale Of 3 Cities

1. Chicago officers win right to 24-hr. “grace period” An arbitrator has ruled that Chicago officers involved in shootings can wait at least 24 hours before having to give a recorded statement to investigators from the municipal agency that reviews police shootings. The decision resulted from a grievance filed by Chicago Lodge 7 of the...
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