Summary
"The primary objective of this report is to review literature on use of force in encounters between police and members of the public in order to identify the key research questions posed and the most appropriate information sources and variables to answer these questions. Advice from police use of force experts was sought on how to interpret relationships between variables in use of force analyses. A secondary objective is to discuss analytic methods that allow for reliable analysis of interactions between officers and subjects in use of force encounters in order to provide information useful to trainers and operational policy makers. Two quantitative analytic approaches are explored: the Maximum Use of Force Scale and the Force Factor Scale. The advantages and disadvantages of these two approaches are discussed. The research findings are intended to inform stakeholders about key research questions with regard to police use of force and subject resistance, to provide guidance on what data are needed to address these questions, and to offer examples of approaches to analyze interactions between officers and subjects in use of force encounters. The report may aid discussions of federal, provincial, territorial and municipal, regional and Aboriginal police services as they share their policies and practices related to use of force reporting and data collection. This report may also contribute to a better understanding of ways to apply the National Use of Force Framework in collecting data which is useful for understanding the tactical considerations of police officers when they respond to incidents."--Abstract.