A Force Science research team recently conducted unique tests with police volunteers to determine how long officers can typically endure in all-out fights with suspects and how a desperate struggle can affect memory. The results are expected to have important legal implications regarding the use of force. Administered under the guidance of Dr. Bill Lewinski,...Read More
After nearly 3 decades in law enforcement, Jeffry Johnson still remembers vividly a “hellacious” physical fight for his life as a young cop. “I was called to a scene where a guy was banging on his girlfriend’s door, trying to break in,” he told Force Science News recently. “He was BIG…and on PCP. Six of...Read More
Two expert witnesses with Force Science backgrounds are believed to have been influential in a jury’s recent decision to reject a murder conviction of a former transit officer accused of deliberately shooting an unarmed suspect in the back during a handcuffing scuffle. The witnesses, Dr. Bill Lewinski, executive director of the Force Science Institute, and...Read More
For the first time, Force Science findings have been framed specifically in a leadership context so supervisors and command staff can better understand what officers experience during and after major use-of-force confrontations. A new, 4-week, cutting-edge Leadership and Career Development Academy launched this year by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Dept. recently hosted a day-long presentation...Read More
News reports about the head camera currently being tested by selected law enforcement agencies may be raising false expectations regarding the device that could have serious repercussions in some use-of-force investigations, warns the Force Science Institute. The camera, manufactured by Taser International and a little larger than a Bluetooth earpiece, fits snuggly on an officer’s...Read More
A police sergeant and a district attorney in Oregon have independently found new ways to spread Force Science insights about officer-involved shootings to broader audiences, to the benefit of law enforcement and civilians alike. Both hope that others with a vested interest in deadly force events will follow their lead in other jurisdictions. The sergeant...Read More
Two recent federal court rulings supporting officers’ decision-making in force encounters are reported in the latest “Case Notes and Publications” email from Americans for Effective Law Enforcement, the nonprofit organization that monitors and assists with litigation of interest to LEOs and their agencies. 1. In Lewis v. City of West Palm Beach, et al., 5...Read More
Strong skepticism has been expressed by the Force Science Research Center regarding a recently publicized survey showing that a high percentage of emergency room doctors believe they see evidence of police brutality in the patients they treat. The poll, published in Emergency Medicine Journal, reports that 99.8% of ER physicians responding to a random-sample survey...Read More
Reading mere statistics, even on a subject as vital as officer-involved shootings, can glaze your eyes after awhile. So it’s refreshing—and valuable—to come upon an in-depth treatment of deadly force that adds flesh and bones to stark numbers. Such is a fascinating new book, Pulling the Trigger: A 25-Year Study of Deadly Force Encounters by...Read More
Force Science States Its Case Some months ago, officers responded to a single-car accident on a freeway in a major midwestern city. As they tried to tend to and question the driver, he became unruly and earned himself a Tasering. Later, he died. As customary in that jurisdiction, a state investigative agency took over the...Read More
