NCJ Number
77343
Date Published
1981
Length
289 pages
Annotation
This empirical study analyzes reported data on all shootings of and by Chicago Police Department officers within the city limits from January 1, 1974, through December 31, 1978. The numbers of civilians shot by police in 1979 and 1980 are also presented.
Abstract
Data are provided on police shootings of civilians, and on police who were shot by civilians, themselves, or fellow officers. In addition, data are provided according to race of the victim and shooter, rank of the officer, on or off-duty status of the officer, incident type, criminal charge against civilians, degree of injury resulting from the shooting, and location and time of the incident. A typology of the police shootings of civilians is then developed, and eight types of incidents are derived based on reasons officers gave for the shooting. Racially linked patterns are sought among the data, and the shootings are examined in relation to population and arrest statistics and to other key variables, such as shooting officer's duty status, assignment, etc. Data analysis indicates that blacks and whites were about equally likely to be shot by police, given their exposure to forcible felony arrests. Of the 523 civilians shot by police, 20 percent were white, 70 percent were black, and 10 percent were Hispanic. Data also reveal that shootings of officers by civilians accounted for 58 percent of the 187 officers shot, while at least 38 percent of the victim officers were shot by their colleagues or had self-inflicted wounds. A final analytic chapter searches for explanations for the pattern of police shootings over time and then gives suggestions for shooting control strategies applicable to the areas of policy development, policy enforcement, personnel practices, training and weapons, and future research. Figures, tables, chapter footnotes, and a bibliography of approximately 490 references are provided. Additional tables, the data collection form, and supplemental materials are appended.