Suspect Mental Disorder and Police Use of Force

It has been suggested that the police tend to respond to the unusual behaviors of mentally disordered individuals with coercive tactics that should be reserved for criminal offenders, such as arrest. Although recent research tested, and rejected, this perspective regarding arrest decisions, the present study investigated the most coercive form of police authority, the use of force. Using officer self-report data from two municipal law enforcement agencies, the present study investigated whether mentally disordered suspects were more likely than nondisordered suspects to receive physical force from the police. The findings revealed that mentally disordered suspects were significantly more likely to act violently, resist the police, and possess a weapon. After these characteristics were controlled, mentally disordered suspects were not more likely than nondisordered suspects to receive physical force.