Blacks were not more likely than whites to be fatally shot nationally; were more likely than whites to be shot at by police in California based on the benchmarks used

Considering violence against police by citizen race/ethnicity to contextualize representation in officer-involved shootings. John A. Shjarback, Justin Nix. Journal of Criminal Justice, December 11 2019, 101653. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2019.101653

Highlights
• Overrepresentation in officer-involved shootings is a function of the racial/ethnic benchmark being used for comparison.
• Violence against police by citizen race/ethnicity may be a better benchmark than others used previously (e.g., contacts).
• Research should move beyond fatal officer-involved shootings to also include non-fatal OIS and all firearm discharges.
• Blacks were not more likely than whites to be fatally shot nationally or shot and injured/killed by police in Texas.
• Blacks were more likely than whites to be shot at by police in California based on the benchmarks used.

Abstract
Purpose: The current study examined racial/ethnic disparities in officer-involved shootings, employing violence directed toward police by race/ethnicity as a benchmark for comparison.

Methods: Odds ratios comparing white and African-American as well as white and Hispanic differences were calculated using three separate datasets: The Washington Post's counts of fatal officer-involved shootings, fatal and injurious officer-involved shootings in Texas, and all firearm discharges by officers in California.

Results: African-Americans were not more likely than whites to be fatally shot nationally or shot and injured/killed by police in Texas based on the benchmarks used. However, African-Americans were more likely than whites to be shot at by California police.

Conclusions: Racial/ethnic overrepresentation (or the lack thereof) in officer-involved shootings appears to be a function of the specific benchmark for comparison as well as the outcome being examined. Studies focusing exclusively on fatalities represent an incomplete and non-random sample of all officer-involved shooting incidents. Data limitations may omit factors, such as place or departmental policies, that are cofounding the relationship between race/ethnicity and fatal police-citizen violence.

Keywords: PoliceOfficer-involved shootingsDeadly forceBenchmarksViolence