A typology of citizen presentations in police use of force events: Are there ecological drivers?

This study identifies subtypes of citizen behavioral characteristics within police use of force events and assesses ecological influences on these subtypes. Data comprised police use of force reports, recorded crime data, and census data. Latent class analysis was applied to 19,900 police use of force events to identify latent classes of citizen behavioral characteristics. A five class-solution demonstrated best fit and comprised the following classes: violent, unstable, and drug or alcohol affected; apparent mental disorder and possessing a weapon; alcohol-related violence; suspicious and fleeing; and violent behavior and threatening a weapon. Chi-square analysis and multilevel logistic regression showed each citizen presentation class was associated with distinct patterns of offence types and contexts for police use of force. Ecological influences were notable for three classes of citizen presentations. The clustering of citizen behaviors within incidents provides insights into the nature and distribution of types of police–citizen encounters where force is used.