UTSA study: Use of police force
still breaking down across racial, ethnic lines
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN
ANTONIO
(San Antonio, June 29, 2021) -
UTSA criminology and criminal justice professors Michael R. Smith and Rob
Tillyer working in collaboration with University of Cincinnati Professor Robin
Engel examined racial and ethnic disparities in the use of force by the Fairfax
County Police Department (FCPD). One of the nation's largest county police
departments, the FCPD serves Fairfax County, Va., a major metropolitan county
near Washington, D.C.
The team presented the results of
its 18-month study today to the Public Safety Committee of the Fairfax County
Board of Supervisors. The team analyzed three years of data, including 1,360
cases of force used by FCPD officers against at least one civilian between
January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018.
In addition to investigating the
influence of civilian race, ethnicity and other factors on force used by FCPD
officers, the team also was charged with providing recommendations for reducing
potential bias in officer decision-making and improving future use of force
data collection.
"Last year highlighted the
racial and social disparities that are a fact of life for many in the U.S. The
protests following the killing of George Floyd, public health disparities
highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising violent crime in many cities
are examples of the larger social and economic challenges we face," said
Smith. "As an urban serving university, UTSA is committed to research that
can address the nation's pressing challenges."
Using benchmarks to compare the
rate of force used against racial and ethnic subgroups to the expected risk of
force across those groups, the researchers also used a series of multivariate
regression models to assess factors associated with the totality and severity
of force used used against civilians in Fairfax County.
The researchers benchmarked force
used against the major racial and ethnic groups in Fairfax County to the racial
and ethnic composition of criminal suspects and arrestees in the county. Key
findings of the study included:
• Average
force levels were slightly higher for Blacks (2.4 on a 4.0 scale) than for
other racial groups while resistance levels were essentially equal across the
racial and ethnic groups.
• The
rates of force used against White and Black civilians consistently exceeded the
benchmarks while Hispanic civilians were underrepresented in force cases
compared to the benchmarks. The benchmarking findings for Asian civilians were
mixed with some showing overrepresentation and some not.
• Comparing
rates of force used against minorities relative to Whites utilizing these same
benchmarks showed that in all but one case, the rate of force used against
minorities was lower than the rate used against Whites.
• At
the same time, Black, and to a lesser degree Hispanic civilians, experienced
more severe force than Whites, and those findings varied by district station.
The researchers concluded that
force was used county-wide more often than expected against White and Black
civilians based on the benchmark comparisons and generally less often than
expected against Hispanic civilians. They also found that Black civilians were
more likely to have force used against them in arrest situations compared to
Whites.
The researchers offered the FCPD
many constructive suggestions on how to enhance its data collection practices,
improve its use of force policies and provide evidence-based training to
officers to help reduce future disparities in the use of force.
"The Fairfax County Police
Department is one of the leading law enforcement agencies in the country. We
hope our findings provide the agency and the residents of Fairfax County with a
roadmap for improvement," said Smith.
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