Examining the relationship between bystander actions and police use of force during public arrests

Purpose Previous studies on policing have included the presence of bystanders as one of the factors that could explain police use of force, yet the findings of these studies are inconsistent. The actions of bystanders beyond their presence are, however, largely overlooked in this literature. The aim of the current study is to address this gap in the literature and investigate what bystanders of police arrests do and how their actions relate to police use of force. Design/methodology/approach We analyzed CCTV video footage of 180 arrests, and coded the actions of bystanders, suspects and police officers. Findings The results showed that bystanders perform a wide range of actions. The number of people in the audience and helping behavior of bystanders were positively associated with police use of force, while the number of bystanders present and obstructing bystander behavior were negatively associated with use of force. Bystander helping and obstructing was only significant in relation to a narrow definition of force. Originality/value The findings suggest that only measuring bystander presence does not provide a full picture of how bystanders could influence police use of force during arrests. Future research should look further into how interactions between police officers, suspects and bystanders unfold.