Evaluating of Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) Use by Law Enforcement Agencies: Impact on Injuries to Officers and Suspects. Summary of Research Findings

摘要

This report summarizes the results of An Evaluation of Oleoresin Capsicum (O.C.) Use by Law Enforcement Agencies: Impact on Injuries to Officers and Suspects, a research study funded by the National Institute of Justice. This research was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of investigators at the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This study was designed to collect available retrospective data describing injuries to officers from assaults and injuries to suspects from police use of force. The study sites for this research were the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. the Charlotte- Mecklenburg Police Department, and the Winston Salem Police Department. The goal of the research was to assess the influence of equipping officers in the field with oleoresin spray on the number of injuries occurring to officers and suspects resulting from police use of force. Data were also collected on complaints of excessive force filed against law enforcement officers at each study site. Comparable data were gathered from each law enforcement agency for timeframes including periods prior to training and the issuance of OC spray to uniformed officers and subsequent to equipping the officers with OC spray. Each agencv collected different types of data on use of force and injuries using different protocols for data collection.