Death by Police Shooting in Australia: Understanding Lethal Force Decisions Through a Sequence Analysis of Behavior

Police officers’ use of lethal force is scrutinized to determine the appropriateness of the decision to shoot. However, surprisingly little research has systematically examined the sequence of behaviors that leads to this decision. This study content analyzed coronial reports of 58 deaths by police...

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Published inHomicide studies Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 167 - 186
Main Author Porter, Louise E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.02.2023
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Behavior
Deadly force
Decision making
Police shootings
Australia
fatal force
lethal force
suicide by cop
police shooting
officer involved shooting
police firearms
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Abstract Police officers’ use of lethal force is scrutinized to determine the appropriateness of the decision to shoot. However, surprisingly little research has systematically examined the sequence of behaviors that leads to this decision. This study content analyzed coronial reports of 58 deaths by police shooting in Australia, coding behavioral and situational features. A novel sequence analysis method—the proximity coefficient—was used to determine the proximities of police and subject behaviors to interpret how police firearm presentation and discharge may be influenced by preceding actions. Theoretical implications and practical applications for preventing fatal outcomes are discussed.
AbstractList Police officers’ use of lethal force is scrutinized to determine the appropriateness of the decision to shoot. However, surprisingly little research has systematically examined the sequence of behaviors that leads to this decision. This study content analyzed coronial reports of 58 deaths by police shooting in Australia, coding behavioral and situational features. A novel sequence analysis method—the proximity coefficient—was used to determine the proximities of police and subject behaviors to interpret how police firearm presentation and discharge may be influenced by preceding actions. Theoretical implications and practical applications for preventing fatal outcomes are discussed.
Author Porter, Louise E.
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lethal force
suicide by cop
police shooting
officer involved shooting
police firearms
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SubjectTerms Behavior
Deadly force
Decision making
Police shootings
Title Death by Police Shooting in Australia: Understanding Lethal Force Decisions Through a Sequence Analysis of Behavior
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