Citation

White MD, Orosco C, Terpstra B. Justice Q. 2023; 40(2): 159-186.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07418825.2021.2022740

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The current study involves a two-level examination of the impact of COVID-19 and George Floyd's death on police work in the Tempe (AZ) Police Department. We employ interrupted time series analysis to test weekly trends (January 2017-January 2021) in crime and officer activity measures. We also examine body-worn camera footage (n = 474) to compare dynamics of police-citizen encounters over time. The impact on crime was mixed and varied by crime type. When declines occurred, they were short-term. The pandemic altered every aspect of police activity, and George Floyd's death led to separate impacts on a few of those measures. Overall, the pandemic had a larger impact than did George Floyd's death. Routine activities theory proved to be a useful framework for understanding the findings. Body-worn camera footage highlighted the consistency in how officers handled citizen encounters. The findings underscore the importance of localized context for these events and their effects.

Language: en

Keywords

COVID-19 and the police; global pandemic and the police