Lethality of Police Shootings and Proximity to Trauma Centers

Abstract

Studies of police shootings have typically focused upon demographic characteristics, police departmental characteristics, or more traditionally criminological characteristics such as crime rate. We use police shooting incidents to examine what role a less examined factor—proximity to a trauma center—has on whether the injured civilian dies or survives. We improve on previous work by estimating both distances and drive times along road networks. Findings from this study underscore the importance of prevention of police shootings, compared to after the fact responses, for reducing the numbers of homicides by police.