Public Opinion & Legitimacy
Striking or grappling? Comparing public and officers' perceptions of police use of force
This experiment showed short video clips of a police encounter to nearly 1,000 civilians and 744 law enforcement officers, with the clips varying in the type of force used, either a punch or a takedown, as well as the races of the officer and the suspect. Both civilians and officers consistently rated the takedown as more professional and appropriate than the punch, with takedown officers receiving excellent ratings roughly 15 to 25 percentage points more often across both groups.
Officer Stress & Performance
Clarifying methods and interpretations in law enforcement mortality surveillance: Response to Kamal
This brief responds to a published commentary raising methodological concerns about a 2025 ALERRT study on law enforcement officer mortality. The authors address questions about how occupation is recorded in mortality data and the potential for statistical bias, explaining the reasoning behind their original analytical decisions.
Public Opinion & Legitimacy
Public opinion and the immediate entry dilemma: A factorial survey experiment on active shooter response
This study measured what the general public thinks law enforcement officers should do when responding to active shooter events, using two national samples in which participants evaluated more than 15,800 fictional scenarios depicting different officer decisions. Law enforcement officers are most influenced by active threat cues like gunfire or injured victims, but citizens based their judgments primarily on the location of the event, strongly supporting immediate police entry in schools and at parades while being more accepting of a delayed response in settings like large shopping malls.
Officer Stress & Performance
Mortality among law enforcement officers in the United States: A population-wide analysis of the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance data, 2020-2023
Using data from the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance program covering more than 15,000 law enforcement officer deaths from 2020 to 2023, this study provides one of the most comprehensive pictures to date of when, why, and among whom officers die. Law enforcement officers showed higher overall death rates compared to the general working-age population, with heart disease, cancer, suicide, and COVID-19 among the leading causes of death for male officers, and cancer being the leading cause for female officers.
Officer Stress & Performance
Shift schedule change from 24/48 to 1/3/2/3 improves markers of stress and quality of life in career firefighters
This study followed career firefighters from the Kyle Fire Department as they transitioned from the traditional 24-hours-on/48-hours-off schedule to a rotating schedule offering longer recovery periods between shifts. Over seven months, firefighters on the new schedule showed significantly lower cortisol levels (a key stress hormone), improved sleep quality, and better overall quality of life.