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Abstract Police deadly force is one of the most compelling reform issues in modern law enforcement research. Much of recent scholarship focuses on training and interventions designed to limit its use among police officers, but few studies explore the role of judicial rulings on changes in fatal officer-involved shootings (FOIS). This study broadens deadly force research by examining whether key Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) rulings (Garner, Graham, and Scott) impacted deadly force patterns over the last 40 years. Using monthly time series data from the Supplemental Homicide Reports and National Vital Statistics Survey, this study finds little evidence to support the idea SCOTUS decisions correspond with profound changes in FOIS over the last 40 years, with one exception: Garner significantly reduced the monthly incident rate of police killings under the subcircumstances of suspect fleeing or resisting arrest. These results point to the importance of administrative policy and theoretically informed evidence-based training to curtail FOIS.
Powell et al. (Wed,) studied this question.