An experimental test of the contagious fire thesis in policing

Abstract

Objectives

This randomized experiment investigated the “contagious fire” thesis, which was first empirically investigated by White and Klinger (2012). They were the first to empirically investigate the notion, which had been widely discussed in and around Policing. The thesis posits that in deadly force scenarios, police officers are prone to use their firearms and discharge more rounds following the catalyst of peer officer gunfire.

Methods

Officers were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: a treatment group, where the officers were exposed to simulated gunfire from fellow officers (confederates), and a control group, which did not have this stimulus. One hundred and sixty-nine officers from police departments in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico participated in the experiment.

Results

Peer officer gunfire significantly and substantially influenced participant shooting behaviors— participants were over 11 times more likely to fire their weapons and discharged approximately 72% more rounds in the presence of gunfire.

Conclusions

This experiment supports the contagious thesis of the use of deadly force by officers and offers the first experimental evidence of its existence. The study has implications for understanding multiple officer-involved shootings.