Objectives

To understand the impact of measurement and analytic choices on assessments of police use of force (UOF) and racial disparities therein.

Methods

We collected and standardized UOF data (N = 9982 incidents) from a diverse set of 11 police departments, and measured departments’ aggregate force severity in five ways. We assessed the sensitivity of racial disparities in UOF severity to a series of analytic choices, using a 5 × 2 × 2 × 2 design comparing force severity to population and arrest benchmarks, using two definitions of minority group (Black/Nonwhite), and two modes of comparison (ratios/differences).

Results

Significant racial disparities were observed under most analytic choices in most departments. However, lethal force was rare, and estimates of lethal force disparities were statistically uncertain, as were departments’ relative ranks as equitable or disparate. Ratios of minority to White force severity were less sensitive to measurement differences within measures including nonlethal force. The choice of a population or arrest benchmark had implications for which departments emerged as highly disparate, while focal minority group and mode of comparison had less systematic effects.

Conclusions

Given increased scrutiny of police activity by advocates and policymakers, it is important to understand how measurement and other analytic choices affect our understanding of equity in police practices. Our findings demonstrate that analytical decisions interact in complex ways and that standardization is essential when comparing multiple departments. We recommend comprehensive data collection that includes nonlethal as well as lethal force, and make recommendations for measuring and contextualizing racial disparities in UOF and other police activity.

中文翻译：

---

测量警察使用武力中的种族差异：方法很重要

目标

了解测量方法和分析选择对评估警察使用武力和其中的种族差异的影响。

方法

我们从11个警察部门的不同集合中收集并标准化了UOF数据（N = 9982事件），并通过五种方式测量了各部门的综合部队严重程度。我们使用5×2×2×2设计，比较了部队严重程度与人口和逮捕基准，使用少数群体的两个定义（黑人/非白人）和两个，对UOF严重程度中的种族差异的敏感性进行了一系列分析选择比较模式（比率/差异）。

结果

在大多数部门的大多数分析选择下，观察到了明显的种族差异。但是，致命武力很少见，并且在统计上还不确定致命武力差距，部门的相对等级也一样。少数人与白人力量严重程度的比率对包括非致命力在内的各种措施中的测量差异不太敏感。选择人口基准或逮捕基准会影响各部门之间的差异很大，而少数族裔群体和比较模式的系统性影响则较小。

结论

鉴于倡导者和政策制定者对警察活动的审查越来越严格，因此重要的是要了解衡量标准和其他分析选择如何影响我们对警察行为公平性的理解。我们的发现表明，分析决策以复杂的方式相互作用，并且在比较多个部门时，标准化是必不可少的。我们建议收集包括非致命性和致命性武力在内的全面数据，并提出建议，以衡量和具体化UOF和其他警察活动中的种族差异。