Total recall?: A quasi-experimental study of officer’s recollection in shoot – don’t shoot simulators

ABSTRACT

Using a quasi-experimental design, the present work seeks to answer whether officer recollection is more precise if they are interviewed moments after a stressful incident (experimental group), compared to officers who are questioned three days after the event (control group). Police officers were exposed to a video simulation of a suspicious male that required either a shoot or don’t shoot outcome. The scenario lasted less than 30 seconds. The timing of questioning does not have a significant effect on the accuracy of memory recall. Still, the experimental group have a higher percent of correct answers than officers in the control group. Further, accuracy of memory recall does significantly differ by threat type. Officers tend to remember a higher percent of threat details than non-threat details. Implications of these findings are discussed, particularly in relation to the contemporary use of body-worn cameras in policing.

KEYWORDS:

• Police officers
• memory
• stress
• shooting

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Chief Larry Eggert (Ret.) and Chief Marc Pacholec (Ret.) for their support in the organization and execution of this research project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. This is similar to the ‘free recall’ approach used in other policing studies (Hope et al., 2016; Porter et al., 2018). Hulse and Memon (2006) argued that if event details were vague or not mentioned during the recall process, the interviewer should ask probing questions to clarify respondent’s answers. There are still, however, limitations to using free recall alone (see Porter et al., 2018).

2. The dispatch information provided to the officers briefly described a suspicious person. Officers were randomly ‘primed’ with additional information that the suspect ‘may be armed.’ (See Mitchell & Flin, 2007 regrading officers being ‘primed’ for an expected event.) This study also classified ‘number of shots fired’ as a ‘threat’ characteristic because it is believed that officers may lose track of their ability to stave off other threats that may materialize after an initial incident. This may be particularly prevalent as officers are now expected to proactively engage active shooter events (IACP, 2018) and there may be more than one shooter or the incident may be prolonged.

3. The limits of video simulators include the inability for there to be accurate interactions between the officer and the person on the video screen.

4. The variations in self-defense actions of the officers was not anticipated, thus never documented. Future scholars should seriously consider keeping track of this behavior regardless of the goals of the study. Further, integrating objects into a room that might provide cover or concealment for the officers (e.g. park bench, mailbox) is suggested.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Scott W. Phillips

Scott W. Phillips is a Professor in the Criminal Justice Department at SUNY Buffalo State. His research interests include police officer decision making and organizational influences on officer’s behavior. His work has been published in Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Journal of Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice Policy Review, Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, and Police Practice and Research.

Dae-Young Kim

Dae-Young Kim is an associate professor in the Criminal Justice Department at State University of New York (SUNY) Buffalo State. His current research interests include political economy of crime and punishment, criminal justice policy and program evaluation, and evaluating problem-based learning. His work has appeared in journals such as Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Criminal Justice and Behavior and Prison Journal.

James J. Sobol

James J. Sobol is an Associate Professor in the Criminal Justice Department at SUNY Buffalo State. His research includes empirical assessments of police behavior and police attitudes. His research has appeared in Justice Quarterly, Crime and Delinquency, Journal of Criminal Justice and Criminal Justice Policy Review. His recent research relates to understanding how police organizations respond to contemporary challenges and identifying ways to improve their effectiveness.

S. Marlon Gayadeen

S. Marlon Gayadeen is an Associate Professor in the Criminal Justice Department at SUNY- Buffalo State. His research interests are in criminology, deviance, deviant behavior, humor in policing and organizational sociology. His research has been published in Journal of Criminal Justice, Journal of Organizational Ethnography, and International Journal of Police Science & Management