TY - JOUR
T1 - Dissecting the complexities of the relationship between police Officer-Civilian race/ethnicity Dyads and less-than-lethal use of force
AU - Jetelina, Katelyn K.
AU - Jennings, Wesley G.
AU - Bishopp, Stephen A.
AU - Piquero, Alex R.
AU - Reingle Gonzalez, Jennifer M.
PY - 2017/7/1
Y1 - 2017/7/1
N2 - Objectives.To examine how sublethal use-of-force patterns vary across officer-civilian race/ethnicity while accounting for officer-, civilian-, and situational-level factors. Methods. We extracted cross-sectional data from 5630 use-of-force reports from the Dallas Police Department in 2014 and 2015. We categorized each officer-civilian interaction into race/ethnicity dyads.We used multilevel, mixed logistic regression models to evaluate the relationship between race/ethnicity dyads and the types of use of force. Results. Forty-eight percent of use-of-force interactions occurred between a White officer and a non-White civilian (White-non-White). In bivariate models, the odds of hard-empty hand control and intermediate weapon use were significantly higher among White-Black dyads compared with White-White dyads. The bivariate odds of intermediate weapon use were also significantly higher among Black-Black, Hispanic-White, Black-Hispanic, and Hispanic-Black dyads compared with White-White dyads. However, after we controlled for individual and situational factors, the relationship between race/ethnicity dyad and hard-empty hand control was no longer significant. Conclusions. Although we observed significant bivariate relationships between race/ethnicity dyads and use of force, these relationships largely dissipated after we controlled for other factors.
AB - Objectives.To examine how sublethal use-of-force patterns vary across officer-civilian race/ethnicity while accounting for officer-, civilian-, and situational-level factors. Methods. We extracted cross-sectional data from 5630 use-of-force reports from the Dallas Police Department in 2014 and 2015. We categorized each officer-civilian interaction into race/ethnicity dyads.We used multilevel, mixed logistic regression models to evaluate the relationship between race/ethnicity dyads and the types of use of force. Results. Forty-eight percent of use-of-force interactions occurred between a White officer and a non-White civilian (White-non-White). In bivariate models, the odds of hard-empty hand control and intermediate weapon use were significantly higher among White-Black dyads compared with White-White dyads. The bivariate odds of intermediate weapon use were also significantly higher among Black-Black, Hispanic-White, Black-Hispanic, and Hispanic-Black dyads compared with White-White dyads. However, after we controlled for individual and situational factors, the relationship between race/ethnicity dyad and hard-empty hand control was no longer significant. Conclusions. Although we observed significant bivariate relationships between race/ethnicity dyads and use of force, these relationships largely dissipated after we controlled for other factors.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020494296&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2105/AJPH.2017.303807
DO - 10.2105/AJPH.2017.303807
M3 - Article
C2 - 28520479
AN - SCOPUS:85020494296
VL - 107
SP - 1164
EP - 1170
JO - American Journal of Public Health
JF - American Journal of Public Health
SN - 0090-0036
IS - 7
ER -