Shock Value: A Comparative Analysis of News Reports and Official Police Records on TASER Deployments

by Justin Ready, Michael D. White and Christopher Fisher, in Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management v.31, 1, (2008): 148-170

Abstract

Purpose – This paper sets out to encompass a comparative analysis of news reports and official police records of TASER deployments from 2002 to 2005.

Design/methodology/approach – The methodology involves a content analysis of all LexisNexis and New York Times articles involving police use of the TASER during the study period (n = 353). Regional (New York Times) and national (LexisNexis) news reports describing police use of the TASER
are compared with police reports of all TASER deployments by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) during the same timeframe (n = 375).

Findings – Descriptive statistics and logistic regression are used to compare the data sources with respect to: the circumstances in which the weapon is deployed; the characteristics of the suspects involved in the TASER incidents; and the significant predictors of continued suspect resistance and repeated use of the TASER by an officer.

Research limitations/implications – The paper examines official police records on TASER deployments from one police agency. This limits the ability to generalize the research findings to other police agencies that have adopted different practices and policies regulating the deployment of CEDs.
Additionally, the content analysis includes only articles in the mainstream print media.

Practical implications – The paper concludes with a discussion about some myths associated with news reports on police use of the TASER, and their potential impact on both public perception and police practices.

Originality/value – To date, research has not systematically compared media representations of the TASER with official reports on police deployments of the weapon. That is the focus of this paper.

The media have been accused of generating myths about the Taser use, thereby feeding into public controversy and outrage. The findings of this study indicate that, by and large, the media have not been guilty of sensationalism.

This article is available online to University of Toronto students, faculty, and staff, and in print at the Centre of Criminology Library.