Police Responses in Officer-Involved Violent Deaths: Comparison of Suicide by Cop and Non-Suicide by Cop Incidents

Abstract

Officers' responses in suicide by cop (SbC) situations often include use of deadly force. Given their training and experience, officers' use of deadly force should mean that they reasonably believe that they or other people are in immediate threat of death or serious bodily harm. Using National Violent Death Reporting System data, the current study compares police responses in SbC and non-SbC cases and the possible influences of the characteristics of the situations and of the subjects on officers' use-of-force decisions. Multivariate analysis reveals different significant predictors impacting different levels of police actions between and with SbC and nonSbC cases.

Deaths Due to Use of Lethal Force by Law Enforcement

“…Related incidents in which the victim engaged in life-threatening or criminal behavior to provoke the use of lethal force by police—widely referred to as “suicide by cop”—have also been recognized by LE and criminal justice researchers for several decades as a unique challenge. 32 In the current study, 17.9% of fatalities due to the use of force were identified as potential “suicide by cop” incidents, h a number within range of prior estimates. 30 , 32 …”

“… 32 In the current study, 17.9% of fatalities due to the use of force were identified as potential “suicide by cop” incidents, h a number within range of prior estimates. 30 , 32 …”

“…Use of lethal force by LE is an issue of urgent concern to those with a shared interest in protecting all communities while eliminating preventable fatalities. Previous research using public health surveillance data has reported on demographic trends in 3 , 12 , 16 , 17 and specific subtypes of 32 , 38 legal intervention deaths. This study is the first to broadly examine the characteristics and detailed circumstances of fatalities resulting from the use of lethal force by LE using data from a multistate public health surveillance system.…”

“…2 , 19 Related approaches may include changes to training or policy on use of less than lethal force technologies, such as chemical sprays or conducted energy devices, to control or incapacitate combative individuals, with some evidence suggesting decreased officer and civilian injuries associated with agency adoption of these tools. 32 , 69 – 71 Further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of these approaches in reducing both civilian and LE injuries.…”

Suicide by Cop: A New Perspective on an Old Phenomenon

“…Having similar tracking systems in other departments would provide the means for analysis of data from departments with a wider range size and geographic locations. Currently, aside from a few notable national databases (i.e., the Hostage Barricade Data System maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; National Violent Death Reporting System maintained by the Center for Disease Control) that have been used in prior research (Lord, 2012(Lord, , 2014Lord & Sloop, 2010), there is little knowledge or awareness of this type of tracking taking place within individual departments across the country. Future studies of SbC cases that use internal reports that gather information about the full breadth of incidents may allow for additional work and insight about how these cases play out, particularly in situations where lethal force is not used and a violent death does not occur.…”