ABSTRACT The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice ... more ABSTRACT The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and prepared the following final report:
Police must frequently pursue suspects who flee to avoid apprehension and punishment. Although a ... more Police must frequently pursue suspects who flee to avoid apprehension and punishment. Although a substantial body of research exists regarding suspect flight and pursuits with motor vehicles (e.g., Alpert, 1997; Hill, 2002), a search of the criminal justice literature failed to uncover a single dedicated study of police foot pursuits. Although the hazards of foot pursuits are not nearly as great as the hazards associated with high-speed motor vehicle pursuits, the "costs and benefits" of foot pursuits are unknown, and we have little or no empirical information about their nature, frequency, or outcomes (Bohrer et al., 2000). To begin to fill this gap in knowledge, this article presents findings from a study of foot pursuits in the Richland County, South Carolina, Sheriff's Department. Although the original study solicited a broad range of information from deputies regarding their experiences with foot pursuits, the findings reported in this article are limited to issue...
Oleoresin capsicum (OC) or "pepper spray" has been widely adopted by law enforcement ag... more Oleoresin capsicum (OC) or "pepper spray" has been widely adopted by law enforcement agencies in the United States for use during resistive and forceful encounters with suspects. There have, however, been few rigor ous evaluations of OC and no empirical research on its utility for deter ring violence against police. The present study expands previous research by employing a quasi-expenmental design—the interrupted time series— to test whether the introduction ofOC into the Baltimore County, Mary land, Police Department deterred assaults on police officers. The results suggest that OC had a statistically significant deterrent effect on violence against police, reducing assaults on officers an average of about 3.2 per month.
Since 2001, the federal Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative has instituted a comprehensive effo... more Since 2001, the federal Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative has instituted a comprehensive effort to reduce gun crimes in local communities across the United States. In South Carolina, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina established Project CeaseFire, a localized response to reduce the prevalence of gun crime through targeted prosecution and increased public education. One element
Despite substantial gains made by law enforcement agencies in attracting minorities into police w... more Despite substantial gains made by law enforcement agencies in attracting minorities into police work, blacks still remain underrepresented in most municipal police departments. One common explanation for their underrepresentation has been that blacks find the prospect of a ...
Largely paralleling research on general homicides, research on the structural covariates of murde... more Largely paralleling research on general homicides, research on the structural covariates of murders of police has been carried out at various levels of areal aggregation. However, although the general homicide research has been extended to counties in the United States, research on murders of police has yet to follow suit. To begin to fill this gap, this study extends research on the structural covariates of police homicides to the county level. Controlling for the number of law enforcement officers at risk, we find that police were more likely to be murdered in economically depressed counties and in counties with larger percentages of African Americans, persons aged 25 to 34, and nonsheriff agencies. Police homicide risk was significantly lower in urbanized counties and in counties located in the Northeast, whereas the South was no riskier than the West or Midwest. Murders of police were unrelated to population mobility, divorce, and levels of violent crime.
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 2000
There is a lack of research into the police’s physical defense and control tactics training. Appr... more There is a lack of research into the police’s physical defense and control tactics training. Approximately 600 officers in the USA form the research population and their opinions are sought about the defense and control tactics training they receive, their experiences in using these tactics and their interest in alternative techniques and training methods. Results support the idea that in‐service training might be improved. There are high levels of dissatisfaction with the training and there are hints as to how training can be improved.
Objectives. We investigated the effect of the use of less-lethal weapons, conductive energy devic... more Objectives. We investigated the effect of the use of less-lethal weapons, conductive energy devices (CEDs), and oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray on the prevalence and incidence of injuries to police officers and civilians in encounters involving the use of force. Methods. We analyzed data from 12 police departments that documented injuries to officers and civilians in 24 380 cases. We examined monthly injury rates for 2 police departments before and after their adoption of CEDs. Results. Odds of injury to civilians and officers were significantly lower when police used CED weapons, after control for differences in case attributes and departmental policies restricting use of these weapons. Monthly incidence of injury in 2 police departments declined significantly, by 25% to 62%, after adoption of CED devices. Conclusions. Injuries sustained during police use-of-force events affect thousands of police officers and civilians in the United States each year. Incidence of these injuries can ...
In the 2016 case of Estate of Armstrong V. The Village of Pinehurst
(Armstrong), the Fourth Circ... more In the 2016 case of Estate of Armstrong V. The Village of Pinehurst
(Armstrong), the Fourth Circuit Court decided to significantly restrict CED
use to only encounters that pose an ‘immediate safety risk’ or ‘immediate
danger.’ Some authors have argued that the decision from Armstrong
could lead to increased officer-involved shootings. The present study tests
this prediction by utilizing a comparative interrupted time-series analysis.
Findings from time-series count models show statistically significant
increases in monthly and weekly officer-involved shootings (OISs) within
the Fourth Circuit, and statistically significant decreases in weekly OISs
among states comparable to, but outside the Fourth Circuit’s jurisdiction.
Policy implications of these findings are discussed in detail.
The objective of the current study was to examine the impact of a multiple conviction criminal re... more The objective of the current study was to examine the impact of a multiple conviction criminal record with varying crime types on hiring outcomes. An experimental correspondence audit was used to achieve this objective. The results showed that those with multiple conviction records and varying crime types received significantly fewer callbacks for interviews than those with no record. While the callback point estimates for those with this type of criminal history were not as low as expected, their statistically significant differences from those with no record were consistent with the bulk of previous research. The results also indicated the continued presence of racial discrimination in hiring practices as equally qualified African American applicants received significantly fewer callbacks than White applicants.
This study investigates the aftermath of a high-profile violent police incident as it relates to ... more This study investigates the aftermath of a high-profile violent police incident as it relates to city-wide firearm violence. Utilizing two Midwest cities (Kansas City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska) as comparison cities, we assess whether violent firearm incidents increased in Minneapolis after the murder of George Floyd. Multiple interrupted time-series analyses showed statistically significant increases in weekly firearm incidents in Minneapolis (AME = 10.63, p < 0.05) and Omaha (AME = 1.47, p < 0.5) following the murder of George Floyd. No significant results were found in Kansas City. Similar relationships were found when examining monthly firearm incidents. The firearm spike in Minneapolis thus represents an approximate 10-fold increase in weekly firearm incidents relative to that observed in Omaha. We conclude, therefore, that the murder of George Floyd was associated with a substantially greater increase in firearm violence in Minneapolis than in the two comparison citie...
Noting the paucity of research on the racial threat hypothesis in the juvenile courts, this study... more Noting the paucity of research on the racial threat hypothesis in the juvenile courts, this study examined the interplay of defendant characteristics and country-level characteristics on dispositions. Data were retrieved from the Department of Juvenile Justice files in South Carolina and were analyzed using multinomial logistic hierarchical linear modeling. Results revealed support for the racial threat hypothesis, as racial inequity operated in a different manner (more punitively) for Black defendants. Larger Black populations in counties also led to an increased use of punitive sanctions. In addition, concentrated disadvantage effects were found, and heightened levels of teenage population led to higher incarceration rates for Black defendants. Limitations of this study, implications for stakeholders/practitioners, and directions for future research are discussed.
ABSTRACT The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice ... more ABSTRACT The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and prepared the following final report:
Police must frequently pursue suspects who flee to avoid apprehension and punishment. Although a ... more Police must frequently pursue suspects who flee to avoid apprehension and punishment. Although a substantial body of research exists regarding suspect flight and pursuits with motor vehicles (e.g., Alpert, 1997; Hill, 2002), a search of the criminal justice literature failed to uncover a single dedicated study of police foot pursuits. Although the hazards of foot pursuits are not nearly as great as the hazards associated with high-speed motor vehicle pursuits, the "costs and benefits" of foot pursuits are unknown, and we have little or no empirical information about their nature, frequency, or outcomes (Bohrer et al., 2000). To begin to fill this gap in knowledge, this article presents findings from a study of foot pursuits in the Richland County, South Carolina, Sheriff's Department. Although the original study solicited a broad range of information from deputies regarding their experiences with foot pursuits, the findings reported in this article are limited to issue...
Oleoresin capsicum (OC) or "pepper spray" has been widely adopted by law enforcement ag... more Oleoresin capsicum (OC) or "pepper spray" has been widely adopted by law enforcement agencies in the United States for use during resistive and forceful encounters with suspects. There have, however, been few rigor ous evaluations of OC and no empirical research on its utility for deter ring violence against police. The present study expands previous research by employing a quasi-expenmental design—the interrupted time series— to test whether the introduction ofOC into the Baltimore County, Mary land, Police Department deterred assaults on police officers. The results suggest that OC had a statistically significant deterrent effect on violence against police, reducing assaults on officers an average of about 3.2 per month.
Since 2001, the federal Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative has instituted a comprehensive effo... more Since 2001, the federal Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative has instituted a comprehensive effort to reduce gun crimes in local communities across the United States. In South Carolina, the United States Attorney&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Office for the District of South Carolina established Project CeaseFire, a localized response to reduce the prevalence of gun crime through targeted prosecution and increased public education. One element
Despite substantial gains made by law enforcement agencies in attracting minorities into police w... more Despite substantial gains made by law enforcement agencies in attracting minorities into police work, blacks still remain underrepresented in most municipal police departments. One common explanation for their underrepresentation has been that blacks find the prospect of a ...
Largely paralleling research on general homicides, research on the structural covariates of murde... more Largely paralleling research on general homicides, research on the structural covariates of murders of police has been carried out at various levels of areal aggregation. However, although the general homicide research has been extended to counties in the United States, research on murders of police has yet to follow suit. To begin to fill this gap, this study extends research on the structural covariates of police homicides to the county level. Controlling for the number of law enforcement officers at risk, we find that police were more likely to be murdered in economically depressed counties and in counties with larger percentages of African Americans, persons aged 25 to 34, and nonsheriff agencies. Police homicide risk was significantly lower in urbanized counties and in counties located in the Northeast, whereas the South was no riskier than the West or Midwest. Murders of police were unrelated to population mobility, divorce, and levels of violent crime.
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 2000
There is a lack of research into the police’s physical defense and control tactics training. Appr... more There is a lack of research into the police’s physical defense and control tactics training. Approximately 600 officers in the USA form the research population and their opinions are sought about the defense and control tactics training they receive, their experiences in using these tactics and their interest in alternative techniques and training methods. Results support the idea that in‐service training might be improved. There are high levels of dissatisfaction with the training and there are hints as to how training can be improved.
Objectives. We investigated the effect of the use of less-lethal weapons, conductive energy devic... more Objectives. We investigated the effect of the use of less-lethal weapons, conductive energy devices (CEDs), and oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray on the prevalence and incidence of injuries to police officers and civilians in encounters involving the use of force. Methods. We analyzed data from 12 police departments that documented injuries to officers and civilians in 24 380 cases. We examined monthly injury rates for 2 police departments before and after their adoption of CEDs. Results. Odds of injury to civilians and officers were significantly lower when police used CED weapons, after control for differences in case attributes and departmental policies restricting use of these weapons. Monthly incidence of injury in 2 police departments declined significantly, by 25% to 62%, after adoption of CED devices. Conclusions. Injuries sustained during police use-of-force events affect thousands of police officers and civilians in the United States each year. Incidence of these injuries can ...
In the 2016 case of Estate of Armstrong V. The Village of Pinehurst
(Armstrong), the Fourth Circ... more In the 2016 case of Estate of Armstrong V. The Village of Pinehurst
(Armstrong), the Fourth Circuit Court decided to significantly restrict CED
use to only encounters that pose an ‘immediate safety risk’ or ‘immediate
danger.’ Some authors have argued that the decision from Armstrong
could lead to increased officer-involved shootings. The present study tests
this prediction by utilizing a comparative interrupted time-series analysis.
Findings from time-series count models show statistically significant
increases in monthly and weekly officer-involved shootings (OISs) within
the Fourth Circuit, and statistically significant decreases in weekly OISs
among states comparable to, but outside the Fourth Circuit’s jurisdiction.
Policy implications of these findings are discussed in detail.
The objective of the current study was to examine the impact of a multiple conviction criminal re... more The objective of the current study was to examine the impact of a multiple conviction criminal record with varying crime types on hiring outcomes. An experimental correspondence audit was used to achieve this objective. The results showed that those with multiple conviction records and varying crime types received significantly fewer callbacks for interviews than those with no record. While the callback point estimates for those with this type of criminal history were not as low as expected, their statistically significant differences from those with no record were consistent with the bulk of previous research. The results also indicated the continued presence of racial discrimination in hiring practices as equally qualified African American applicants received significantly fewer callbacks than White applicants.
This study investigates the aftermath of a high-profile violent police incident as it relates to ... more This study investigates the aftermath of a high-profile violent police incident as it relates to city-wide firearm violence. Utilizing two Midwest cities (Kansas City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska) as comparison cities, we assess whether violent firearm incidents increased in Minneapolis after the murder of George Floyd. Multiple interrupted time-series analyses showed statistically significant increases in weekly firearm incidents in Minneapolis (AME = 10.63, p < 0.05) and Omaha (AME = 1.47, p < 0.5) following the murder of George Floyd. No significant results were found in Kansas City. Similar relationships were found when examining monthly firearm incidents. The firearm spike in Minneapolis thus represents an approximate 10-fold increase in weekly firearm incidents relative to that observed in Omaha. We conclude, therefore, that the murder of George Floyd was associated with a substantially greater increase in firearm violence in Minneapolis than in the two comparison citie...
Noting the paucity of research on the racial threat hypothesis in the juvenile courts, this study... more Noting the paucity of research on the racial threat hypothesis in the juvenile courts, this study examined the interplay of defendant characteristics and country-level characteristics on dispositions. Data were retrieved from the Department of Juvenile Justice files in South Carolina and were analyzed using multinomial logistic hierarchical linear modeling. Results revealed support for the racial threat hypothesis, as racial inequity operated in a different manner (more punitively) for Black defendants. Larger Black populations in counties also led to an increased use of punitive sanctions. In addition, concentrated disadvantage effects were found, and heightened levels of teenage population led to higher incarceration rates for Black defendants. Limitations of this study, implications for stakeholders/practitioners, and directions for future research are discussed.
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Papers by Robert J Kaminski
(Armstrong), the Fourth Circuit Court decided to significantly restrict CED
use to only encounters that pose an ‘immediate safety risk’ or ‘immediate
danger.’ Some authors have argued that the decision from Armstrong
could lead to increased officer-involved shootings. The present study tests
this prediction by utilizing a comparative interrupted time-series analysis.
Findings from time-series count models show statistically significant
increases in monthly and weekly officer-involved shootings (OISs) within
the Fourth Circuit, and statistically significant decreases in weekly OISs
among states comparable to, but outside the Fourth Circuit’s jurisdiction.
Policy implications of these findings are discussed in detail.
(Armstrong), the Fourth Circuit Court decided to significantly restrict CED
use to only encounters that pose an ‘immediate safety risk’ or ‘immediate
danger.’ Some authors have argued that the decision from Armstrong
could lead to increased officer-involved shootings. The present study tests
this prediction by utilizing a comparative interrupted time-series analysis.
Findings from time-series count models show statistically significant
increases in monthly and weekly officer-involved shootings (OISs) within
the Fourth Circuit, and statistically significant decreases in weekly OISs
among states comparable to, but outside the Fourth Circuit’s jurisdiction.
Policy implications of these findings are discussed in detail.