Gun violence

Unveiling the unseen: Documenting and analyzing nonfatal shootings by police

Some invited comments on an article by Julie Ward and team in AJPH

The ‘‘War on Cops,’’ Retaliatory Violence, and the Murder of George Floyd

The police murder of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests in the summer of 2020 and revived claims that public outcry over such high-profile police killings perpetuated a violent *war on cops*. Using data collected by the Gun Violence Archive …

A National Analysis of Trauma Care Proximity and Firearm Assault Survival among U.S. Police

We look at 7 years of firearm assaults on US police officers and find that proximity to trauma care is not significantly associated with odds of survival.

Factors associated with police shooting mortality: A focus on race and a plea for more comprehensive data

At the 2021 ASC Conference, I present findings from my latest paper on police shootings with John Shjarback.

Factors associated with police shooting mortality: A focus on race and a plea for more comprehensive data

We compile nonfatal police shooting data from four states and find that some racial disparities are larger than previously thought.

Understanding Denver’s devastating rise in violent crime in 2020

We argue that Denver’s 2020 crime spike was likely the result of a police legitimacy crisis.

Review of ‘‘Criminology Explains Police Violence’’

My brief review of Philip Stinson’s new book in the *Criminology Explains* series.

NYC Shootings, Revisited

In my last post, I pointed out that shootings weren’t occurring less frequently in NYC in 2020 than in prior years, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. I was also careful not to jump to the conclusion that shootings had increased significantly. That was June 3rd. Suffice it to say a lot has happened since then - including 624 additional shootings. Each of the last four years, NYC had fewer than 200 shootings from June to July.

On the challenges associated with the study of police use of deadly force in the United States: A response to Schwartz & Jahn

I was invited to write a formal comment on a recent analysis of fatal police shootings in US MSAs.

Gun victimization in the line of duty: Fatal and non-fatal firearm assaults on police officers in the United States, 2014-2019

We explore state-level variation and trends over time in gun assaults of police officers.

Defunding or disbanding the police is a dangerous idea if done hastily

We explore state-level variation and trends over time in gun assaults of police officers.

No Significant Decline in NYC Shootings Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

On March 1, 2020, New York City reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19. Eleven days later, Mayor de Blasio declared a state of emergency. By mid-March, the most populous city in America had essentially shut down. Schools, libraries, gyms, theaters, churches and nightclubs closed. Major sporting events and concerts were cancelled. Restaurants were limited to take-out and delivery only. Non-essential gatherings of any size were prohibited, and New Yorkers were ordered to “shelter in place.

Gun Violence Against U.S. Police Officers: Insights from a New Dataset

In a forthcoming paper in Criminology & Public Policy, Michael and I conducted an exploratory analysis of fatal and non-fatal firearm assaults on U.S police officers using six years of public data provided by the Gun Violence Archive. We adopted the following inclusion criteria: Victim was a sworn officer employed by a local, state, or special jurisdiction law enforcement agency that routinely responds to calls for service (i.e., officers employed by town, city, or county agencies, sheriff’s departments, state agencies, tribal police, university police, transit police) Victim was on duty at the time of assault The bullet struck the victim’s person or his/her equipment (excluding vehicle) The bullet came from a real firearm (i.