Measuring and Studying Officer-Involved Shootings in the US: Comparing Estimates from Multiple Open-Source Registries

Abstract

Historically, a lack of comprehensive data on police shootings has hindered a nuanced understanding of this critical issue. However, in the past decade, the research landscape has rapidly evolved with the emergence of improved data facilitated by crowd-sourced and non-governmental initiatives. This chapter explores the transformative potential of such data, reviewing recent findings that have significantly advanced our collective knowledge on the topic. We demonstrate numerous sources of bias in previous empirical work focusing on the effects of police shootings. Further, we emphasize the caution required when navigating this newfound wealth of information, outlining some of the inherent challenges and potential pitfalls associated with the analysis of crowdsourced data. Our aim is to contribute to more informed public and academic dialogues on police shootings.