“Rhetoric without reality’ or effective policing strategy? An analysis of the relationship between community policing and police fatal force”

Significant recent events have spurred conversations on police use of fatal force against civilians, particularly unarmed people of color.
Discussions emphasize accountability mechanisms and reform efforts to control misuse of fatal force.
Following the 2014 deaths of Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and Michael Brown, the Obama Administration formed the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
- Goal: Reform U.S. policing to a democratic, community-oriented, and procedurally-just institution to reduce police misconduct and improve community trust. (President’s Task Force, 2015)

There's been a rise in body-worn camera technology aiming to enhance police accountability and diminish force through transparency (Babin et al., 2017).
Scholars argue that technology alone doesn’t provide sufficient change; deeper reforms in police culture and practices are necessary (Koslicki, 2019; Menifield, Shin, & Strother, 2019; Rahr & Rice, 2015; Stoughton, 2016).

The guardian mindset has been advocated over the warrior ethos, emphasizing community partnerships, police interactions, and officer autonomy.
Community-oriented policing (COP) is framed as active strategies aimed at measurable impacts rather than just philosophy.
- COP strategies should enhance community trust, communication, and procedural justice (Rahr & Rice, 2015; Stoughton, 2015; Stoughton, 2016).
The research aims to investigate the connection between measurable components of COP strategies and the reduction of police fatal force.

COP materialized in response to funding initiatives like COPS grants and pressures following urban riots (Trojanowicz & Bucqueroux, 1990).
Criticism includes its vagueness in definition and measurement, hindering clear implementation strategies (Cordner, 1995).

Frequent non-law enforcement contacts with the public (foot patrols, permanent beat assignments).
Problem-solving methods and strategies.
Decentralized hierarchy allowing officer discretion.

Outcomes of COP show considerable variation, with fundamental organizational shifts often absent despite claims of community orientation (Zhao, He, & Lovrich, 2003).
Many departments combatting high rates of force employ a mix of aggressive and community-oriented tactics (Kraska & Cubellis, 1997; Koslicki & Willits, 2018).

No studies exist examining the link between COP strategies and fatal police force rates.
Accurate and reliable data have only recently become available, particularly post-2014 (e.g., Fatal Encounters database).

The U.S. lacks a centralized method for collecting data on police fatal force (Klinger, Rosenfeld, Isom, & Deckard, 2016; Nix et al., 2017).
Government data sources like UCR and BJS have significant coverage gaps.
- Example: ARD captures about half of police-related deaths (Planty et al., 2015).
National Violent Death Reporting System is a better source post-2019 (Conner et al., 2019).

Current literature primarily examines individual characteristics (e.g., race, implicit bias) rather than organizational or environmental predictors.
Organizational predictors remain convoluted, with different studies yielding various conclusions on training and structure (Smith, 2004; Willits & Nowacki, 2014).
Neighborhood predictors include:
- Higher percentages of Black residents correlate with higher fatal force rates (Menifield et al., 2019; Ross, 2015).
- Economic factors like poverty influence fatal encounters.

This study explores how adherence to measurable community policing strategies impacts police lethal force rates, controlling for neighborhood-level factors.
Hypothesis: There is a negative relationship between community policing strategies and fatal police force rates.

The study examines the relationship between community-oriented policing and police violence utilizing datasets from Fatal Encounters, LEMAS, 2010 Census, and UCR.
A sample of 1331 cases across three years of data from 606 unique law enforcement agencies analyzed.

Fatal encounters measured using the Fatal Encounters dataset.
Cleaning process ensured accurate incident details and accounted for off-duty officer involvement.

Organizational and city-level characteristics incorporated, including agency size, SWAT team presence, violent crime rates, and demographic data from the Census.

A negative binomial regression analysis was performed to account for the count nature of the outcome variable, correcting for overdispersion.
Models assessed both with and without outlier values to ensure reliability of results.

Departments requiring community policing training for recruits and those employing permanent beat assignments showed an increased likelihood of fatal encounters.
Organizational variables (e.g., SWAT teams, agency size) correlated with higher rates of fatal encounters.
Negative relationships between crime rates and community demographics were partially supported.

Community policing strategies did not yield a significant reduction in fatal encounters; instead, increased fatal encounters were observed with specific cop strategies.
Original hypotheses linking COP to decreased use of force were unsupported, suggesting possible intrinsic issues within policing cultures.

Calls for community policing reforms often emerge following high-profile incidents involving police violence.
Findings indicate that while COP may improve community perceptions, it does not inherently lead to reductions in fatal police encounters.
Raising questions about how community policing strategies are enacted at the departmental level.

The study challenges the notion that community-oriented practices effectively mitigate police use of fatal force.
Future research should explore the effects of procedural justice, officer training content, and recruitment practices as they relate to fatal encounters.
Need for deeper cultural shifts within police departments to reduce fatal encounters sustainably and effectively.
Encouragement for reforms that incorporate community-oriented principles more meaningfully, moving beyond the rhetoric to produce concrete outcomes in policing practices.