The Effect of Field Training Officers on Police Use of Force
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. (JEL D91, J24, J45, K42, M53)
Fields of Study & Subjects
Policing Practices and Perceptions
Labor market dynamics and wage inequality
Names
Identity
and Discrimination Research
Publication details
- Journal / source
- American Economic Review
- Publisher
- American Economic Association
- Volume
- 116
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1837–1875
- Publication date
- 30 April 2026
- Language
- EN