Scripting police escalation of use of force through conjunctive analysis of body-worn camera footage: A systematic social observational pilot study

Abstract Purpose To date script analysis has not been used in the field of criminology to further understand processes behind events involving non-offending criminal justice system actors. The purpose of this research is to conduct a pilot study to develop a police officer force escalation script. Methods Through the systematic social observation video data analysis of police-worn body camera footage, conjunctive analysis of case configurations is applied to develop force escalation scripts. Results Scripts consist of dominant officer and subject action configurations associated with an increased risk of escalation from soft empty-hand control to more severe types of force, as well as configurations of environmental and demographic characteristics. Conclusions Based on identified scripts, if study results are replicated using a larger sample size, results support the efficacy of persistent calm commands for reducing risk of escalation. Crisis intervention and procedural justice training is recommended for officers. To create a heightened awareness of the presence of a recording device, wearers of BWCs may consider narrating interactions as they unfold. Finally, pending replication, we advocate for immediate physical separation of victim and suspect when in a private space.