Use of Force - Subject Information

ronpillar
Feb 13, 2023
3 min read

What's the deal with the Use of force subject segment?

So, you answered "Yes" to one (or more) of the Use of Force Qualification Questions on the Incident segment - and now you need to record subject information.

The "Subject Segment" supplies the demographic information and characteristics of the subject (or subjects) involved in the Use of Force Incident. This information includes demographic items such as:

Subject Gender
Subject Age
Subject Height
Subject Weight

The "Subject Segment" also includes characteristics such as:

Subject Impairment(s)
Subject Resistance Type(s)
Subject Force Type(s)
Subject Injury Type(s)

*Reminder - If you are a Pennsylvania agency, your department must collect Use of Force information, per Act 180 (Starting January 1st, 2023).

Get it right the first time!

In-Synch RMS includes intelligent data entry screens and validation for the Use of Force data elements, ensuring your personnel enters data correctly. Check out the excerpt from our training video to see it in action.

Download the resources from the video.

Subject Data Elements

Now that we've discussed the basics, let’s take a look at some of the Subject data elements collected in Pennsylvania Use of Force Reporting in more detail:

Subject Race?

Used to indicate the race and ethnicity of the subject
Mandatory
At least one Race/Ethnicity ID must be provided

Valid Races

A - Asian: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

B - Black or African-American: A person having origins in any of the

black racial groups of Africa.

I - American Indian or Alaskan Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Americas and maintaining cultural identification through tribal affiliations or community recognition.

P - Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. The term "Native Hawaiian" does not include individuals who are native to the State of Hawaii by virtue of being born there.

However, the following Pacific Islander groups are included: Carolinian, Fijian, Kosraean, Melanesian, Micronesian, Northern Mariana Islander, Palauan, Papua New Guinean, Ponapean (Pohnpelan), Polynesian, Solomon Islander, Tahitian, Tarawa Islander, Tokelauan, Tongan, Trukese (Chuukese), and Yapese.

W - White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of

Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East.

U - Unknown/Not Reported

PA Removed Values

PENDING - Pending further investigation

Subject Gender?

Used to indicate the gender of the subject.
Mandatory
Gender is mandatory, and only one value can be provided for a subject

Valid Genders

F - Female

M - Male

X - Gender Non-Binary (Not male, not female)

U - Unknown (Not reported)

PA Removed Values

PENDING - Pending further investigation

Subject Age?

Used to indicate the age of the subject
Mandatory
Age is mandatory, and only one value can be provided for a subject

Valid Data Values

NN - Under 24 Hours

NB - 1-6 Days Old

BB - 7-364 Days Old

01-98 - Years Old

99 - Over 98 Years Old

Subject Height?

Used to indicate the height of a subject.
Mandatory
Subject height is collected in two parts; feet and inches
Feet
- Only one value can be provided for a subject
- Must be an integer between 0 and 10
Inch
- Only one value can be provided for a subject
- Must be an integer between 0 and 11

Subject Weight?

Used to indicate the weight of a subject in pounds.
Mandatory
Only one value can be provided for a subject
Must be an integer

Subject Impairment?

Used to indicate the impairment type of the subject at the time of the incident.
Mandatory
Only one value can be provided for a subject

Valid Data Values

Yes

No

PA Removed Values

Pending - Pending further investigation

Unknown - Unknown and is unlikely to ever be known

Subject Impairment Types?

Used to indicate the total number of other responding agencies whose officer(s) used force during the incident
Conditional
- If "Subject Impairment" is "Yes," then at least one value must be provided for "Subject Impairment Type."

Valid Impairment Types

Alcohol - Alcohol Impairment

Drugs - Drug Impairment

Mental - Mental health condition

PA Removed Values

Pending - Pending further investigation

Unknown - Unknown and is unlikely to ever be known

Subject Resisted?

Used to indicate if the subject resisted during the incident.
Mandatory
One value must be provided for the subject

Valid Data Values

Yes

No

PA Removed Values

Pending - Pending further investigation

Unknown - Unknown and is unlikely to ever be known

Subject Resistance Types?

Used to indicate the resistance used by the subject during the incident.
Conditional
- If "Subject Resisted" is "Yes," then at least one value must be submitted for "Subject Resistance Type."

Valid Resistance Types

BARRICADE - Barricading self

ESCAPE/FLEE - Attempt to escape/flee from custody

FIREARM - Using a firearm against an officer or another

PHYSICAL - Using hands/fists/feet against an officer or another

DISPLAY WEAPON - Displaying a weapon at an officer or another

BODY FLUIDS - Intentionally spitting or bleeding on an officer

THROWING - Throwing an article or object at an officer

NONCOMPLIANCE - Failing to comply with verbal commands or other types of passive resistance

OTHER WEAPON - Using another weapon (such as a chemical agent, edged weapon, electronic control weapon, or blunt object) against an officer or another

RESISTED - Resisted being handcuffed or arrested

VERBAL - Making verbal threats

VEHICLE - Directing a vehicle at an officer or another

PA Removed Values

Pending - Pending further investigation

Unknown - Unknown and is unlikely to ever be known

Subject Threat Directed At?

Used to indicate who the threat by the subject(s) was perceived by the officer(s) to be directed to, the officer, or to another party.
Mandatory
One value must be provided for the subject

Valid Threat Values

Another - Another Party

Both - Both the officers and others

Officer - Officer

PA Removed Values

PENDING - Pending further investigation

UNKNOWN - Unknown and is unlikely ever to be known

Subject Armed?

Used to indicate if the law enforcement official felt the subject was armed during the incident with a weapon (other than hands, fists, and feet).
Mandatory
Only one value can be provided for a subject

Valid Data Values

Yes

No

PA Removed Values

PENDING - Pending further investigation

UNKNOWN - Unknown and is unlikely ever to be known

Subject Force Types?

Used to indicate the type of force the officer(s) used on the subject during the incident.
Mandatory
“FIREARM” must be specified in this data element for at least one subject if “DISCHARGE” is provided for Use of Force Qualification Question 3. (In this incident, did an officer in your department discharge their firearm at or in the direction of a person, that otherwise did not result in death or serious bodily injury?)

Valid Force Types

BATON - Baton

BLUNT OBJECT - Blunt instrument/Flashlight

CANINE - Canine

CHEMICAL - Chemical agent/Pepper or OC (oleoresin capsicum) spray

ELECTRONIC - Electronic control weapon (Taser®)

EXPLOSIVE - Explosive device

FIREARM - Firearm

OTHER - Other

PHYSICAL - Hands-fists-feet

PROJECTILE - Impact projectile

PA Removed Values

PENDING - Pending further investigation

UNKNOWN - Unknown and is unlikely ever to be known

Subject Injury Types?

Used to indicate the type of injuries sustained by the subject.
Mandatory
Multiple values can be provided within the data element
- If “DEATH” is provided, no other values can be provided for the subject
- If “NONE” is provided, no other values can be provided for the subject