Using the studies and charts in Alpert and Dunham’s text, Understanding Police Use of Force: Officers, Suspects, and Reciprocity

1. Explain the underlying impact of race, age and gender on interaction between the officer and the citizen. What effects do the officer’s race, age and gender have on his/her actions? What effects do the citizen’s race, age and gender have on his/her actions initially or in response to the officer? Be thorough; cite the studies in the text to support your answers.

2. Explain when and why officers use force and are met with physical resistance by suspects. Should there be a national legal standard for each level of force used? Why or why not? Explain.

3. Explain what the authors meant by the eras of non-regulation, self-regulation and external regulation. Identify the timeline of the eras and the issues of the day. Note well the era of external regulation and explain the impact of the various regulatory efforts on police behavior. On the use of force in general?

4. What is the history of policed use of force research? Explain its progression. What are the important data sources for use of force research? How do they help us to understand police-citizen interactions, especially those that result in the use of force