Police Use of Force Escalation and De-escalation: The Use of Systematic Social Observation With Video FootagePolice Use of Force Escalation and De-escalation: The Use of Systematic Social Observation With Video Footage

• NCJ Number: 306002
• Journal: Police Quarterly Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Dated: 2022 Pages: 155-177
• Author(s): William Terrill ; Laura Zimmerman
• Date Published: 2022
• Length: 23 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2010-IJ-CX-0027
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Assessing Police Performance in Citizen Encounters: Promoting Police Legitimacy and Accountability

Annotation

Drawing on a joint project between the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and Arizona State University, the authors expand on prior research to demonstrate how social systematic observation (SSO) can be used with video footage to methodically detail the evolving nature of police-suspect encounters.

Abstract

The authors then illustrate how the data could be evaluated within the framework of escalation and de-escalation using an expanded version of the Resistance Force Comparative Scale (RFCS) first developed and employed in 2001. Finally, the authors assess the merits and challenges of using video footage to account for suspect and police behaviors in relation to escalation and de-escalation. (Published abstract provided)