Abstract:
This study used seven analyses to examine predictive factors associated with race and age in police use of lethal force and differences in age and gender of subjects engaged in lethal force incidents with police. The analyses conducted include multinomial logistic regression (MLR), general linear model ANOVAs (GLM ANOVA), Welch F tests, chi-square, and eta correlation. The theoretical overlay of the analyses was reflective of two opposing, predominating themes in the literature regarding police use of lethal force. One is institutional or systemic racism results in the targeting of young black males with lethal force. The other is police work, including lethal force, is precipitated by crime. The results suggest that killings of Black subjects and subjects from other races are disproportionate to those of their White counterparts, but that difference, although statistically significant, accounts for a small amount of variance, approximately 15%, in the race of subjects. Additional results indicate that the variance in age of subjects killed by police among other contextual factors is less than 7%, which indicates that neither model has strong predictive strength. Further, the age of minority subjects killed by police differs by approximately four to eight years when compared to White subjects, with Black subjects being nearly eight years younger than White subjects, and there are minimally discernable differences by proportion in the gender of subjects killed by police, regardless of race, armed status, weapons involved, threat level, mental illness, and location of the lethal force incident. Although the study produced many statistically significant results, variances and effect sizes were small, rendering them less reliable for influencing law enforcement policy but a sound starting point for related future dialogue. Finally, neither theory about police use of lethal force was solidified, pointing toward the need for more research on the topic for policy changes in law enforcement to be validly implemented.