As you know, the Force Science Institute in its Certification Course (visit www.forcescience.org for more details) and in public statements advocates that officers who have been involved in shootings or other high-intensity events should be allowed a recovery period of at least 48 hours before being interviewed in depth about the incident by IA or...Read More
New research findings by the Force Science Institute provide fresh evidence that an officer’s ability to accurately remember potentially important details may be significantly compromised after a shooting. “In certain circumstances, these findings may help investigators account for memory discrepancies that might otherwise be interpreted as an officer’s willful effort to be misleading,” FSI’s executive...Read More
A new study clearly documents a “significant and important” trend in federal courts to consider the physiological and psychological impact of stress on officer performance in cases alleging excessive force and inadequate training. “This finding,” says Dr. Bill Lewinski, executive director of the Force Science Institute, “is very encouraging to those of us who have...Read More
The standard Taser X26 exposure cycle in controlling agitated or combative subjects is an initial five-second discharge, with subsequent five-second cycles as deemed necessary. A new report in the Journal of Forensic Sciences suggests that much longer continuous exposure may, in fact, be safe physiologically. In a study conducted at Pennsylvania State University, scientists subjected...Read More
An officer’s job termination, based largely on discrepancies between his description of a physical encounter and what a Taser camera recorded, has been reversed by a California judge, thanks to the efforts of an attorney and an expert witness with Force Science credentials. Ofcr. Santino “Sonny” Lopez of the Grover Beach (CA) PD, the president...Read More
Important officer safety findings from a groundbreaking study of vehicle stop performance have been reported by the Force Science Institute. An analysis of various positions officers typically assume when talking to a driver of a stopped car and their immediate reaction to a sudden crisis reveals that: No position proximate to the suspect’s vehicle can...Read More
Based on findings from a new stress study, a research team is recommending, among other things, that investigators of officer-involved shootings should be trained with deadly force simulator scenarios. “That experience would help investigators better understand the human factors that can come into play when officers face a life-threatening situation,” the lead researcher, Dr. Darrell...Read More
Experiments mirroring a real-world case that resulted in an officer going to prison for perjury have confirmed that a trick of the mind called inattentional blindness—the failure to see something important that is clearly within your field of view—can occur under stressful circumstances on the street. The officer’s conviction was described in detail in a...Read More
More evidence that sleep improves memory has been logged into research archives. As part of highly technical research designed to map the connection between various parts of the human brain and memory, British scientists have confirmed findings by other researchers that sleep has a positive effect on retention and recall. An investigative team led by...Read More
The Cognitive Interviewing process that can enhance the memories of witnesses and involved officers during use-of-force investigations has now been modified to make it a useful tool for also detecting possible deception when questioning suspects about crimes. The modified protocol includes 2 unexpected requests that seem especially effective in exposing untruthfulness: 1) Asking the suspect...Read More
