Julia Adelaida Rodriguez

Research project

Interaction Analysis of Police-Citizen Interactions

The project analyses police-citizen encounters in the US with a focus on the use of force and de-escalation measures. While structural and social factors are important elements in the analysis of the use of force, empirical research on its explanation still remains largely inconclusive. This puzzle is the starting point of the project’s enquiry into the micro-situational dynamics and origins of the use of force in a policing context. The project aims to go beyond social and structural factors for understanding the use of force by analysing the situational dynamics of police-civilian encounters. The study analyses video data obtained by body worn cameras (BWCs) deployed by US police departments. The research’s empirical findings aim to add new knowledge to the body of interaction research literature, and to inform de-escalation measures and policies.