Predicting firearm and CEW displays as police officers' response to resistance

Abstract Purpose The purpose of the study was to identify factors associated with officer firearm and conducted energy weapon displays. Our specific concern was whether black subjects were more likely to have firearms drawn against them relative to other subjects. Methods Officer- and incident-level “response to resistance” data from the New Orleans Police Department were analyzed. Logistic regression models controlling for officer, subject, and situational factors were estimated to predict officer weapon draws. Results When analyzing all officer-level actions, black subjects were more likely to have firearms drawn against them than other subjects, but subject race was insignificant in incident-level analyses. Additionally, situational characteristics explained more variance in the data than officer or subject characteristics alone. Conclusions We found no consistent evidence of racial bias in firearm draws. Results hinged to an extent on the samples analyzed and statistical models estimated. In addition, our findings apply solely to one city and highlight the complexity of use-of-force research and the need for further replication.