On the Use of Police Officers in Randomized Field Experiments: Some Lessons From the Milwaukee Domestic Violence Experiment

• NCJ Number: 168257
• Journal: Police Studies Volume: 19 Issue: 1 Dated: (1996) Pages: 45-52
• Author(s): A Weiss; R F Boruch
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: Earlier version of paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, 1994, Chicago

Annotation

The participation of police officers in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Domestic Violence Experiment was examined, with emphasis on factors that influenced police officers to participate in the experiment, how police officers balanced the rigors of a randomized experiment with the exercise of discretion, and police officer attitudes toward mandatory arrest for domestic violence.

Abstract

Interviews were conducted with four Milwaukee police officers who reported on their reactions to the experiment and shared their perceptions of the reactions of others in the police department. The analysis of interviews focused on four issues: incentives for participation, relationship between police officer discretion and the randomization process, role of police department administration, and efficacy of mandatory arrest policies. Police officers appeared to be motivated to participate in the experiment for largely personal reasons. They were either interested in improving their job assignment and working conditions or they held strong views about mandatory arrest. While police officers were initially troubled by the notion of randomized assignment, they were eventually convinced by research staff that randomization was necessary. The experiment also illustrated the critical role of police department staff. An appendix lists the questions posed to Milwaukee police officers. 8 references and 4 notes