Police Use of Force Post-Ferguson: Evidence from Dallas, Texas

Authors: Zachary A. Powell and Anthony M. Galvan

Presented at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology on November 16, 2017

Abstract:

In recent memory, the United States has been subject to many highly publicized protests against police departments in response to perceived injustices against civilian populations. One event, occurring in Ferguson, Missouri, may have provided the impetus for the so-called, “Ferguson Effect.” Collective wisdom suggests that the Ferguson Effect may have provided an impetus for increases in crime as well as attacks against police officers. To our knowledge, no study has examined whether the ratio of officer force to suspect resistance increased after post-Ferguson. Furthermore, there is little knowledge concerning whether local events (similar to the one observed in Ferguson) increase police force in the local area. Toward this end, we examine officer force and suspect resistance data from the Dallas (TX) Police Department to determine whether the ratio of force to resistance increases post-Ferguson. Moreover, we explore whether officer force ratios grew after the shooting targeting police officers in Dallas in July 2016. The results from our study may provide greater insight as to how highly publicized incidents affect police use of force patterns.