FAQs about the Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database

Are all cases of police officers who are arrested included in the Police Crime Database?

Our research methodology captures many cases of sworn law enforcement officers who have been arrested. We do not, however, capture every case. We are continually adding new cases to the research project database, and occasionally we come across cases from past years that come to our attention years after an officer’s arrest. The research captures the phenomenon of police crime at state and local law enforcement agencies across the United States.

What criteria did you use to select the cases/data for the Police Crime Database?

Case inclusion criteria in the coding protocol:

1. The person (1) was employed as a sworn nonfederal law enforcement officer at the time of their arrest and/or (2) the person was employed as a sworn nonfederal law enforcement officer at the time of commission of the crime(s) for which they were arrested.
2. The term "officer" includes sworn law enforcement officers with general powers of arrest and includes officers, troopers, deputies, constables, etc. An “officer” includes all ranks (e.g., officers, detectives, investigators, corporals, sergeants, lieutenants, captains, majors, colonels, inspectors, deputy chiefs, chief deputies, chiefs, sheriffs, commissioners, etc.)
3. The officer was arrested on or after January 1, 2005.
4. The officers' employing nonfederal law enforcement agency must be located within the United States (limited to those areas within and/or inclusive of the fifty states and the District of Columbia).
5. "Officer" includes those who are employed full-time and/or part-time, as well as officers who are auxiliary or reserve officers.
6. "Arrests" include arrests, indictments, charge by criminal information, charge by summons, etc. for criminal offenses. Traffic tickets alone are not included.

Why does the database not include cases from more recent years?

The Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database currently provides summary information for years 2005-2018. Our research group is still actively collecting cases for more recent years. The methodology requires sufficient time to past after the initial date of arrest for the criminal case to progress through the legal system and for the agency to determine employment outcomes prior to coding. Coding and content analysis are conducted on each case approximately three to five years after the initial arrest. More information about our methodology can be found on the Methods page.

Can I download the Police Crime Database?

The Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database is not available for downloading. An electronic copy of the 2005-2011 unabbreviated 244-variable data set has been deposited with the National Archives of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) at the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and is available for secondary analyses by university-affiliated academic researchers. For information, contact the NACJD.

Why are the names of the arrested officers not included in the Police Crime Database?

The purpose of the research project is to empirically study police crime. We see no benefit to include in the Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database names of individual sworn law enforcement officers who have been arrested.

Why didn't you publish all of your available data in the Police Crime Database?

The Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database is designed as a resource so that people can learn more about the incidence of police crime at law enforcement agencies in their community. We have included the variables/data that are most likely to be of interest to concerned citizens.

How do I cite to the database?

We suggest using the following reference format when citing the database:
Stinson, P. M. (2024). The Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database [Database v.081324.1006]. Retrieved from https://policecrime.bgsu.edu

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