American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
The Effect of Field Training Officers on Police Use of Force
American Economic Review
(pp. 1837–75)
Abstract
The influence of on-the-job training and supervisors, especially in high-stakes settings like policing, is poorly understood. Examining a central behavior in the debate surrounding police reform, we investigate the impact of a field training officer (FTO) on a recruit's use of force. Leveraging a setting with conditional as-good-as-random assignment, we demonstrate a causal link between FTO and recruit use of force. A 1 standard deviation increase in FTO force propensity leads to a 14 to 18 percent rise in recruit force, persisting for at least two years. This underscores field training's impact and reveals a promising avenue for reform.Citation
Adger, Chandon, Matthew B. Ross, and CarlyWill Sloan. 2026. "The Effect of Field Training Officers on Police Use of Force." American Economic Review 116 (5): 1837–75. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20240785Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D91 Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
- J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
- J45 Public Sector Labor Markets
- K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
- M53 Personnel Economics: Training