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Network Position and Police Who Shoot

Author

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  • Linda Zhao
  • Andrew V. Papachristos

Abstract

This study applies the growing field of network science to explore whether police violence is associated with characteristics of an officer’s social networks and his or her placement within those networks. To do this, we re-create the network of police misconduct for the Chicago Police Department using more than 38,442 complaints filed against police officers between 2000 and 2003. Our statistical models reveal that officers who shoot at civilians are often “brokers†within the social networks of policing, occupying important positions between other actors in the network and often connecting otherwise disconnected parts of the social structure between other officers within larger networks of misconduct. This finding holds, even net measures of officer activity, career movement, and sociodemographic background. Our finding suggest that policies and interventions aimed at curbing police shootings should include not only individual assessments of risk but also an understanding of officers’ positions within larger social networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Linda Zhao & Andrew V. Papachristos, 2020. "Network Position and Police Who Shoot," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 687(1), pages 89-112, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:687:y:2020:i:1:p:89-112
    DOI: 10.1177/0002716219901171
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Charles Loeffler & Seth Flaxman, 2018. "Is Gun Violence Contagious? A Spatiotemporal Test," Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Springer, vol. 34(4), pages 999-1017, December.
    2. Brandl, Steven G. & Stroshine, Meghan S. & Frank, James, 2001. "Who are the complaint-prone officers?: An examination of the relationship between police officers' attributes, arrest activity, assignment, and citizens' complaints about excessive force," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 521-529.
    3. Riksheim, Eric C. & Chermak, Steven M., 1993. "Causes of police behavior revisited," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 353-382.
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    Cited by:

    1. Justin Frake & Derek Harmon, 2024. "Intergenerational Transmission of Organizational Misconduct: Evidence from the Chicago Police Department," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 70(6), pages 3856-3878, June.
    2. Cohen R. Simpson & David S. Kirk, 2023. "Is Police Misconduct Contagious? Non-trivial Null Findings from Dallas, Texas," Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 425-463, June.
    3. Marie Ouellet & Sadaf Hashimi & George G. Vega Yon, 2023. "Officer Networks and Firearm Behaviors: Assessing the Social Transmission of Weapon-Use," Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 679-703, September.

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