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                            Library & Multimedia
 Strange Bedfellows: Civil Liability and Aggressive Policing
NCJ Number
              202117
Journal

*Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management* Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: 2003 Pages: 352-368
Author(s)
          Kenneth J. Novak;
                        Brad W. Smith;
                        James Frank
Date Published

2003
Length
              17 pages
Annotation
              This study examined whether experience with and attitudes toward civil liability influence the behavior of police officers, specifically an officer’s propensity to make arrests, use force, conduct searches and initiate encounters with suspects.
Abstract
              The use of civil litigation has increased dramatically since the 1960's. Mixed findings have previously been found in police perceptions of the influence of liability on their behavior. This paper, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, focuses on the influence of liability on everyday street-level officer behavior. Specifically, it examines the relationship between attitudes toward liability and officer behaviors that are most often associated with civil litigation, including arrests, use of force, searches of suspects, and proactive encounters with suspects of criminal activity. Data were taken from self-report surveys and observations with police officers in the Cincinnati Police Division (CPD). Between April 1997 and April 1998, trained observers conducted 442 systematic social observations with police officers in the CPD. The findings show that liability concerns failed to influence behavior to the extent expected. References
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        98-IJ-CX-0075


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Report (Study/Research)
    
  
  
Date Published: January 1, 2003
    
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