Characterizing perceived police violence: implications for public health.
Despite growing recognition of violence's health consequences and the World Health Organization's recent classification of police officers' excessive use of force as a form of violence, public health investigators have produced scant research characterizing police-perpetrated abuse. Using qualitative data from a study of a police drug crackdown in 2000 in 1 New York City police precinct, we explored 40 injection drug using and 25 non-drug using precinct residents' perceptions of and experiences with police-perpetrated abuse. Participants, particularly injection drug users and non-drug using men, reported police physical, psychological, and sexual violence and neglect; they often associated this abuse with crackdown-related tactics and perceived officer prejudice. We recommend that public health research address the prevalence, nature, and public health implications of police violence.
Cooper
Hannah
H
Medical Helath and Research Association of New York, Inc., National Development and Research Institutes, Inc, New York, NY 10010, USA. cooper@ndri.org
Moore
Lisa
L
Gruskin
Sofia
S
Krieger
Nancy
N
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D016495:Police; D011204:Poverty Areas; D011287:Prejudice; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012752:Shame; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data