Injuries to Officers and Suspects in Police Use-of-Force Cases: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation

• NCJ Number: 241308
• Author(s): Bruce Taylor, Daniel J. Woods
• Date Published: January 2010
• Length: 30 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Evaluation of Less Lethal Technologies on Police Use of Force Outcomes

Annotation

This research examines nonlethal weapons and the potential to reduce injuries for officers/suspects.

Abstract

The Conducted Energy Device (CED) weapon holds the potential to reduce injuries for officers/suspects. However, the dearth of research on CEDs makes it difficult to make informed decisions about its deployment. The authors conducted a quasi experiment to compare 4 years of data from seven law enforcement agencies (LEAs) with CED deployment with six matched LEAs without CED deployment. Compared with non-CED sites, CED sites had lower rates of officer injuries, suspect severe injuries, and officers and suspects receiving injuries requiring medical attention. The results suggest that CEDs can be effective in helping minimize physical struggles and resulting injuries in use-of-force cases. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage Journals.