Do Women Police Officers Use Less Force? Findings from a National Study

Researchers analyzed survey data from 7,365 police-citizen encounters in six police agencies in the United States to evaluate the effects of officer’s gender on the level of force. Results show that female officers used less force than male officers, and that women partnered with other women used less physical force than men partnered with other men. The findings remained consistent after accounting for the level of noncompliance demonstrated by the citizen and other characteristics of the encounter. Findings also suggested that less aggressive actions by officers to noncompliant citizens were not related to increased risk for injury. However, antagonistic responses were.