A Policy Evaluation: Comparing Levels of Police Injuries Associated with the Use of Less-Lethal Instruments in Law Enforcement - Conducted Energy Devices vs. Other Less-Lethal Instruments

Police officers continue to sustain injuries during close proximity encounters with non-compliant and combative suspects. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine whether the use of less-lethal instruments, such as conducted energy devices, oleoresin capsicum, impact batons, and hands/feet defensive tactic reduced police officer injury during confrontations with uncooperative suspects at a medium-sized police department in a southern state. Fichtelberg's democratic policing was used as the theoretical framework for this study. Data were acquired from Suspect Resistant Reports (n = 409) written by police officers over a 10-year period (1/05 -- 12/14). The dependent variable was police officer injury and the categorically ranked independent variable was the less-lethal instrument. A significant association was found between officer injuries and less-lethal instruments using chi-square analysis (p <.0001). Cramer's V test for strength of association was moderately strong (.371). Odds ratios revealed that the risk of injury increased by 6.5 times when hands/feet defensive tactics or impact baton were used. However, the risk of injury decreased by 10 times if conducted energy devices were used. The positive social change implications of this study include recommendations to law enforcement executives to consider policies and procedures that reinforce the use of CEDs over other less-lethal options, especially the impact baton, which was found to be rarely deployed and risky in terms of officer injury when used. Addressing these policies my result in reductions in officer injuries and improved public safety for the community overall.