ABSTRACT
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conducted an informative study entitled “Police Use of Force in America 2001.”1 The collection of information for this project began in 1996, but the results were just recently published. The IACP research and a number of other use of force studies were reviewed, and the results were determined to be consistent. All of the time, resources, and effort in conducting these research projects are wasted, however, unless we carefully examine the results and make systemic improvements to better serve law enforcement and the public. Before designing a defensive tactics (DT) program, or upgrading an existing program, it makes sense to first determine who is attacking law enforcement officers, how officers are attacked, and under what circumstances officers are injured and sued. Completed use of force research has answered these questions-now we just have to address them properly. The IACP study appears to be the most comprehensive, so it is referenced to the greatest extent in this chapter.
