🚨 New Episode Alert 🚨
"Are Tactical Officers Primed to Use Force?" with Bryce Jenkins
Recently, some researchers have concluded there is a concern regarding what they call the ‘Militarization of Police’ Militarization is defined as a process ‘whereby civilian police increasingly draw from, and pattern themselves around, the tenets of militarism and the military model’. Often associated with this definition is the related concern sometimes put forward that this ‘militarization’ increases the risk to public safety because of the associated increase in the uses of force that accompany it. One result of these suppositions is the related concern that the deployment of military-styled swat or tactical teams furthers that risk to the public.
More current and robust peer reviewed research however highlights several areas of concerns with the previous research methodology and conclusions.
In this interview we will are speaking with Bryce Jenkins and discussing recently published studies that provide a completely different picture, a contrary view if you will, of the risk to the public that the deployment of SWAT presents.
Bryce is a PhD student in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University. His primary research focuses on understanding and improving officer decision-making during potential use of force incidents. Relatedly, his research aims to understand the use of tactical officers and the implications of their use.
In this interview Bryce discusses the research that he and colleagues published titled ‘‘Primed to Use Force? A Systematic Review Examining the Relationship Between Tactical Experience and Use of Force” published in the journal of police and criminal psychology in Feb 2024. And just a reminder for our listeners, the related research papers are available for you to download over at the Trainers Bullpen website at www.trainersbullpen.com
Spoiler alert! Bryce and his colleagues conclude in their paper that “There is growing evidence that due to their additional training, equipment, and experience, tactical officers actually reduce both the likelihood and severity of force.”
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