NCJ Number
97379
Date Published
1983
Length
163 pages
Annotation
This text reviews the literature on victim racial and ethnic disparities in police use of deadly force and reports on a study undertaken to examine those disparities.
Abstract
The studies reviewed compared the incidence of the police use of deadly force against blacks and whites; nationwide, blacks were found to be at least nine times more likely than whites to be killed by police. Factors accounting for this disparity are considered, with attention to variation in officer and citizen behavior. Data on police use of deadly force in 54 American cities whose population exceeded 250,000 are examined for the years 1970-79. Dependent variables (deadly force rates and population) and independent variables (including violent crime arrests, property crime arrests, reported crime, and police experience) are analyzed, as are nontraditional indicators. Data sources are identified, and the analysis strategy is described. The development of a final model for explaining deadly force is examined. Results indicate that only two offense arrest rates are related to the police use of deadly force: robbery is positively related and larceny is negatively related. Finally, a significant disparity between the number of black and white victims of police deadly force is indicated, but the difference is shown to have declined between 1970 and 1979. Recommendations for police training to prevent excessive use of deadly force are included. Forty-three references and 22 tables are provided.