Open AccessTasers and Community Controversy: Investigating Training Officer Perceptions of Public Concern Over Conducted Energy Weapons
Author(s) -
Joseph De Angelis,
Brian Wolf
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2013.1540
Subject(s) - officer , public relations , perception , political science , energy (signal processing) , sociology , psychology , law , neuroscience , statistics , mathematics
Over the last several decades, “Tasers,” “stun guns” and other conducted energy devices (CEDs) have become a widely adopted, though publicly controversial, form of police restraint technology. While there is a growing body of research on the physiological effects of these types of weapons, less attention has been devoted to the social effects of this technology. This paper draws on in - depth interviews with a stratified random sample of police training officers from two states (n=27) to explore the effect that community controversy over the use of CEDs has had on police organizational practices. In particular, we explore how police training officers: (a ) Represent the sources of recent community controversies relating to CEDs; (b ) Characterize the effects that community controversy has on officer practices and policy development.