Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Policing is a challenging and dangerous job because officers must enforce laws and protect civilians without abusing their authority. This is an important tradeoff because police play a vital role in preventing crime and ensuring communities feel safe. However, in recent years, the public has expressed concerns about over-policing and disparities in policing behavior. As policing is high stakes for both police officers and communities, it is important to understand how police officers make decisions. Because police officers are often exposed to dangerous situations while working, it is possible that this exposure fundamentally shapes their choices.

This paper examines the effect of violence against police on police behavior. I use data on police ambushes, severe surprise attacks against police officers, to identify effects. Specifically, I am able to estimate the effect of ambushes on arrest and use of force behavior. To do so, I compare officers when they are dispatched to beats that have experienced ambushes versus those that have not, over time. Preliminary findings indicate that after an ambush police officers dispatched to ambushed beats are less likely to make arrests. I also find that policing severity (use of force), does not increase after an ambush.