Reducing Police Inappropriate Use Of Force | Nora Luongo

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

April 22, 2021 (Phys.org) -- Experts on violence have policy and procedural recommendations for reducing police use of inappropriate force.

A report from the Police Violence Commission of the International Society for Research on Aggression looks at the inappropriate use of force by police from the perspective of behavioral and social science inquiry related to aggression, violence, and intergroup relations.

Researchers examined use of force in the context of research on modern policing as well as critical race theory and offered five recommendations suggested by contemporary theory and research. The panel's recommendations are aimed at policymakers, law enforcement administrators, and scholars.

The five recommendations made by the group include:

• Implement public policies that can reduce inappropriate use of force directly and through the reduction of broader burdens on the routine activities of police officers.
• For officers frequently engaged in use-of-force incidents, ensure that best-practice, evidence-based treatments are available and required.
• Improve and increase the quality and delivery of noncoercive conflict resolution training for all officers, along with police administrative policies and supervision that support alternatives to the use of force, both while scaling back the militarization of police departments.
• Continue the development and evaluation of multi-component interventions for police departments, but ensure they incorporate evidence-based, field-tested components.
• Expand research in the behavioral and social sciences aimed at understanding and managing use-of-force by police and reducing its disproportionate impact on minoritized communities and expand funding for these lines of inquiry.

(more)

READ MORE: Phys.org