Craig Bennell
Biographic Data
| ID | 767400 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Craig Bennell |
| GIVEN NAMES | Craig |
| FAMILY NAME | Bennell |
| SIGNATURE | BENNELL C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Carleton University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7676-5232 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 18 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 26 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2000 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
A measured response? Examining the use of specialty resources and tactics adopted by tactical officers
The use of tactical officers, commonly known as Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), has become a contentious issue within contemporary policing. Problematically, most Canadian research has focused on de-contextualized call types (e.g. mental health call, traffic stop) to speak to the use of tactical officers. We move beyond this limitation by conducting a content analysis of incidents that received a response from tactical officers (n = 1652) usi…
A Comparison of Police Use of Force by Male and Female Officers in Canada: Rates, Modalities, Effectiveness, and Injuries
Research has reported inconsistent findings with respect to how female and male police officers use force. This study examined this issue in a Canadian context. Use of force data over 9 years were collected from a large Canadian police agency. The results demonstrated that, overall, female officers used force less frequently than male officers relative to the number of female and male officers within the participating police agency. Female office…
Why are tactical officers responding to ‘routine’ calls? Using police data to examine the presence of risk factors during seemingly low risk incidents
Previous research has suggested that tactical officers across North America commonly respond to calls characterized as ‘routine,’ which has raised significant concerns. However, most of this research relies on de-contextualized data, such as the broad call category (e.g., domestic), to ascertain the nature of the incidents that receive a response from tactical officers. To provide a more nuanced understanding of these incidents, we were provided …
Community policing during the pandemic
Community-oriented policing (COP) is a policing philosophy that focuses on the co-production of public safety by police officers and the community members they serve. This paper utilized the extreme context presented by the COVID−19 pandemic to test the theoretical assumptions on which COP is based. The data presented in this paper were collected from 32 community police officers (CPOs) from a Canadian police service who attended six focus group …
The importance of context: Re-examining the ‘deployments’ of SWAT teams in Canada
Based on an analysis of data released through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, Canadian researchers have suggested that Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams are no longer exclusively deployed to resolve high-risk incidents but now frequently respond to routine calls that do not necessitate their involvement. Given concerns about these conclusions, we submitted the same FOI requests to the 14 police agencies examined by Roziere and Walby…
Public perceptions of police officers who wear pins or patches on their uniform
Questions surrounding the display of pins and patches by police officers are receiving tremendous attention in Canada. However, no known research has explored how such accessories may impact public perceptions. To inform this discussion, we examined how 524 Canadians perceived an officer wearing various pins and patches. Participants rated eight photographs of the officer, once without any pins or patches and once when wearing each of the seven d…
What do you see? Understanding perceptions of police use of force videos as a function of the camera perspective
Some research suggests that video‐recorded police incidents may be subject to a camera perspective bias. This study examined whether the camera angle of a recorded police use of force encounter influenced interpretation of the video. Participants ( n = 330) viewed a video‐recorded simulated use of force scenario in one of four camera angle conditions (body worn camera, bystander camera, security camera, all three camera angles), and then rated th…
Misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, and malicious accusations: A reply to Walby’s (2021) SWAT Everywhere
To develop a more informed understanding of why tactical officers are used in Canada, we interviewed patrol and tactical officers from three Canadian police services (Jenkins et al., 2020). Interviewees indicated that tactical officers tend to be used on calls that go beyond the capabilities of patrol officers, including high-risk calls and calls unfolding in special environments, and that their use results in reduced threat to police and public …
The thin blue line between cop and soldier: Examining public perceptions of the militarized appearance of police
Research suggests that certain characteristics of police uniforms and equipment influence how the public perceives police officers. The current study expanded on this research by examining how various features related to police militarism (e.g., weaponry) are perceived by the public. Approximately 2000 community members from across Canada were shown a series of photographs of officers that were manipulated to alter their attire and armament. Part…
Adverse outcomes in non-fatal use of force encounters involving excited delirium syndrome
This study examined the risk of adverse outcomes during non-fatal encounters with subjects exhibiting features of Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExDS). Data for the study was collected over a five-year period through standardized reporting in a large Canadian law enforcement agency. Consistent with previous research, the presence of six or more of the ten features of ExDS was used to identify a probable case. Force was applied on 10,718 subjects, 197…
Expressing uncertainty in criminology: Applying insights from scientific communication to evidence-based policing
Scholars and practitioners who develop evidence-based crime policy debate on how best to translate criminological knowledge into better criminal justice practices. These debates highlight the counterpoised problems of over-selling the contribution of scientific evidence; or, alternately, overemphasizing the limitations of science. This challenge attends any attempt to translate research findings into practice; however, and problematically, in cri…
Injuries and deaths proximate to oleoresin capsicum spray deployment: A literature review
This literature review assessed research related to injuries and deaths proximate to oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray deployment. Our review of 22 relevant documents suggests that OC spray is often effective and is typically associated with decreased odds of both subject and “deployer” injury. When OC-associated injuries do occur, they consistently appear to be relatively minor. When OC spray is used proximate to a subject’s death, common themes are…
An exploration of the use of tactical officers in three Canadian police services
In order to better understand the use of tactical police resources in Canada we interviewed patrol and tactical officers ( N = 28) from three Canadian police services. A thematic analysis indicated that tactical officers are primarily responding to calls beyond the capabilities of patrol to resolve optimally which included high-risk calls as denoted by the presence of risk-factors and calls unfolding in special environments. Further, tactical off…
Online Canadian police recruitment videos: Do they focus on factors that potential employees consider when making career decisions
Given their potential to reach a large audience, online recruitment videos are likely a useful way for police services to recruit applicants. To increase the likelihood of people applying, these videos should focus on issues potential employees consider when making career decisions. A literature review revealed six job factors that people consider when contemplating a potential career. A coding framework focusing on these factors (and their respe…
Examining the impact of uniform manipulations on perceptions of police officers among Canadian university students
It is important to understand how uniforms influence public perceptions of the police. The current study utilized a randomized design in which undergraduate students at a Canadian university were exposed to a series of photographs of officers wearing different uniform configurations (i.e., special duty vs. traditional uniform, dark vs. light shirt, dishevelled vs. tidy uniform, and uniform trousers with and without a stripe). Participants rated e…
Are students aware of, knowledgeable about, and willing to use campus safety services
‘If it’s not worth doing half-assed, then it’s not worth doing at all’: Police views as to why new strategy implementation fails
Strategy implementation is the most challenging aspect of strategic management. In the case of police organizations, failure to effectively carry out a strategy results in loss of organizational resources and employee commitment. The present study is an attempt to explore the reasons behind failure of new strategies by drawing upon qualitative survey responses from 353 police officers and civilian employees from seven agencies across Canada. The …
An Evaluation of a Community-Based Mobile Crisis Intervention Team in a Small Canadian Police Service
A Canadian replication of Telep and Lum’s (2014) examination of police officers’ receptivity to empirical research
Research conducted in the United States (U.S.) suggests that many police professionals are unaware of, or resistant to, empirical research, and see little value in adopting evidence-based approaches for tackling policing issues. To determine whether similar views are held by Canadian police professionals, 598 police professionals (civilians and officers) from seven police services across Canada were surveyed. The survey was designed by Lum and Te…
To what extent do Canadian police professionals believe that their agencies are ‘Targeting, Testing, and Tracking’ new policing strategies and programs
Some researchers suggest that police professionals see little value in adopting evidence based approaches to tackle policing challenges. To examine this issue, 586 Canadian police professionals were surveyed. We explore responses to one particular question, which caused 353 respondents to reflect on whether they think their agencies enact evidence based policing (EBP) principles in daily operations; specifically, the principles of targeting, test…
Using offender crime scene behavior to link stranger sexual assaults: A comparison of three statistical approaches
Does use-of-force simulation training in Canadian police agencies incorporate principles of effective training
Numerous police agencies in Canada incorporate use-of-force simulation training into their overall instructional regime. A prominent theory of learning, known as cognitive load theory, suggests that in order for this training to be effective, instructional methods must facilitate the acquisition and automation of task-relevant schemas without overwhelming the limited processing capacity of the learner. In this article, several instructional effec…
The personality paradox in offender profiling: A theoretical review of the processes involved in deriving background characteristics from crime scene actions
Most approaches to offender profiling depend on a naive trait perspective, in which the task of predicting personality characteristics from crime scene actions relies on a model that is nomothetic, deterministic, and nonsituationist. These approaches rest on two basic premises: behavioral consistency across offenses and stable relationships between configurations of offense behaviors and background characteristics. Research supports the former pr…
The personality paradox in offender profiling: A theoretical review of the processes involved in deriving background characteristics from crime scene actions
Sexual Offenses Against Children as the Abusive Exploitation of Conventional Adult-Child Relationships
A study was conducted to determine whether the relationship processes underlying offender-child interactions in child sexual abuse could be considered as abusive and manipulative variants of more conventional relationship processes that exist between adults and children. To explore this possibility, it was proposed that a circular order of behaviors (i.e., a circumplex) would exist in offender-child interactions that relates to circular models fo…
Sexual Offenses Against Children as the Abusive Exploitation of Conventional Adult-Child Relationships
A study was conducted to determine whether the relationship processes underlying offender-child interactions in child sexual abuse could be considered as abusive and manipulative variants of more conventional relationship processes that exist between adults and children. To explore this possibility, it was proposed that a circular order of behaviors (i.e., a circumplex) would exist in offender-child interactions that relates to circular models fo…
Using offender crime scene behavior to link stranger sexual assaults: A comparison of three statistical approaches
The importance of context: Re-examining the ‘deployments’ of SWAT teams in Canada
Based on an analysis of data released through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, Canadian researchers have suggested that Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams are no longer exclusively deployed to resolve high-risk incidents but now frequently respond to routine calls that do not necessitate their involvement. Given concerns about these conclusions, we submitted the same FOI requests to the 14 police agencies examined by Roziere and Walby…
An Evaluation of a Community-Based Mobile Crisis Intervention Team in a Small Canadian Police Service
Forensic Psychology
Sexual Offenses Against Children as the Abusive Exploitation of Conventional Adult-Child Relationships
A study was conducted to determine whether the relationship processes underlying offender-child interactions in child sexual abuse could be considered as abusive and manipulative variants of more conventional relationship processes that exist between adults and children. To explore this possibility, it was proposed that a circular order of behaviors (i.e., a circumplex) would exist in offender-child interactions that relates to circular models fo…
The personality paradox in offender profiling: A theoretical review of the processes involved in deriving background characteristics from crime scene actions
Most approaches to offender profiling depend on a naive trait perspective, in which the task of predicting personality characteristics from crime scene actions relies on a model that is nomothetic, deterministic, and nonsituationist. These approaches rest on two basic premises: behavioral consistency across offenses and stable relationships between configurations of offense behaviors and background characteristics. Research supports the former pr…
The personality paradox in offender profiling: A theoretical review of the processes involved in deriving background characteristics from crime scene actions
Does use-of-force simulation training in Canadian police agencies incorporate principles of effective training
Numerous police agencies in Canada incorporate use-of-force simulation training into their overall instructional regime. A prominent theory of learning, known as cognitive load theory, suggests that in order for this training to be effective, instructional methods must facilitate the acquisition and automation of task-relevant schemas without overwhelming the limited processing capacity of the learner. In this article, several instructional effec…
To what extent do Canadian police professionals believe that their agencies are ‘Targeting, Testing, and Tracking’ new policing strategies and programs
Some researchers suggest that police professionals see little value in adopting evidence based approaches to tackle policing challenges. To examine this issue, 586 Canadian police professionals were surveyed. We explore responses to one particular question, which caused 353 respondents to reflect on whether they think their agencies enact evidence based policing (EBP) principles in daily operations; specifically, the principles of targeting, test…
Using offender crime scene behavior to link stranger sexual assaults: A comparison of three statistical approaches
A Canadian replication of Telep and Lum’s (2014) examination of police officers’ receptivity to empirical research
Research conducted in the United States (U.S.) suggests that many police professionals are unaware of, or resistant to, empirical research, and see little value in adopting evidence-based approaches for tackling policing issues. To determine whether similar views are held by Canadian police professionals, 598 police professionals (civilians and officers) from seven police services across Canada were surveyed. The survey was designed by Lum and Te…
‘If it’s not worth doing half-assed, then it’s not worth doing at all’: Police views as to why new strategy implementation fails
Strategy implementation is the most challenging aspect of strategic management. In the case of police organizations, failure to effectively carry out a strategy results in loss of organizational resources and employee commitment. The present study is an attempt to explore the reasons behind failure of new strategies by drawing upon qualitative survey responses from 353 police officers and civilian employees from seven agencies across Canada. The …
An Evaluation of a Community-Based Mobile Crisis Intervention Team in a Small Canadian Police Service
Injuries and deaths proximate to oleoresin capsicum spray deployment: A literature review
This literature review assessed research related to injuries and deaths proximate to oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray deployment. Our review of 22 relevant documents suggests that OC spray is often effective and is typically associated with decreased odds of both subject and “deployer” injury. When OC-associated injuries do occur, they consistently appear to be relatively minor. When OC spray is used proximate to a subject’s death, common themes are…
An exploration of the use of tactical officers in three Canadian police services
In order to better understand the use of tactical police resources in Canada we interviewed patrol and tactical officers ( N = 28) from three Canadian police services. A thematic analysis indicated that tactical officers are primarily responding to calls beyond the capabilities of patrol to resolve optimally which included high-risk calls as denoted by the presence of risk-factors and calls unfolding in special environments. Further, tactical off…
Online Canadian police recruitment videos: Do they focus on factors that potential employees consider when making career decisions
Given their potential to reach a large audience, online recruitment videos are likely a useful way for police services to recruit applicants. To increase the likelihood of people applying, these videos should focus on issues potential employees consider when making career decisions. A literature review revealed six job factors that people consider when contemplating a potential career. A coding framework focusing on these factors (and their respe…
Examining the impact of uniform manipulations on perceptions of police officers among Canadian university students
It is important to understand how uniforms influence public perceptions of the police. The current study utilized a randomized design in which undergraduate students at a Canadian university were exposed to a series of photographs of officers wearing different uniform configurations (i.e., special duty vs. traditional uniform, dark vs. light shirt, dishevelled vs. tidy uniform, and uniform trousers with and without a stripe). Participants rated e…
Are students aware of, knowledgeable about, and willing to use campus safety services
What do you see? Understanding perceptions of police use of force videos as a function of the camera perspective
Some research suggests that video‐recorded police incidents may be subject to a camera perspective bias. This study examined whether the camera angle of a recorded police use of force encounter influenced interpretation of the video. Participants ( n = 330) viewed a video‐recorded simulated use of force scenario in one of four camera angle conditions (body worn camera, bystander camera, security camera, all three camera angles), and then rated th…
Misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, and malicious accusations: A reply to Walby’s (2021) SWAT Everywhere
To develop a more informed understanding of why tactical officers are used in Canada, we interviewed patrol and tactical officers from three Canadian police services (Jenkins et al., 2020). Interviewees indicated that tactical officers tend to be used on calls that go beyond the capabilities of patrol officers, including high-risk calls and calls unfolding in special environments, and that their use results in reduced threat to police and public …
The thin blue line between cop and soldier: Examining public perceptions of the militarized appearance of police
Research suggests that certain characteristics of police uniforms and equipment influence how the public perceives police officers. The current study expanded on this research by examining how various features related to police militarism (e.g., weaponry) are perceived by the public. Approximately 2000 community members from across Canada were shown a series of photographs of officers that were manipulated to alter their attire and armament. Part…
Adverse outcomes in non-fatal use of force encounters involving excited delirium syndrome
This study examined the risk of adverse outcomes during non-fatal encounters with subjects exhibiting features of Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExDS). Data for the study was collected over a five-year period through standardized reporting in a large Canadian law enforcement agency. Consistent with previous research, the presence of six or more of the ten features of ExDS was used to identify a probable case. Force was applied on 10,718 subjects, 197…
Expressing uncertainty in criminology: Applying insights from scientific communication to evidence-based policing
Scholars and practitioners who develop evidence-based crime policy debate on how best to translate criminological knowledge into better criminal justice practices. These debates highlight the counterpoised problems of over-selling the contribution of scientific evidence; or, alternately, overemphasizing the limitations of science. This challenge attends any attempt to translate research findings into practice; however, and problematically, in cri…
Public perceptions of police officers who wear pins or patches on their uniform
Questions surrounding the display of pins and patches by police officers are receiving tremendous attention in Canada. However, no known research has explored how such accessories may impact public perceptions. To inform this discussion, we examined how 524 Canadians perceived an officer wearing various pins and patches. Participants rated eight photographs of the officer, once without any pins or patches and once when wearing each of the seven d…
A Comparison of Police Use of Force by Male and Female Officers in Canada: Rates, Modalities, Effectiveness, and Injuries
Research has reported inconsistent findings with respect to how female and male police officers use force. This study examined this issue in a Canadian context. Use of force data over 9 years were collected from a large Canadian police agency. The results demonstrated that, overall, female officers used force less frequently than male officers relative to the number of female and male officers within the participating police agency. Female office…
Why are tactical officers responding to ‘routine’ calls? Using police data to examine the presence of risk factors during seemingly low risk incidents
Previous research has suggested that tactical officers across North America commonly respond to calls characterized as ‘routine,’ which has raised significant concerns. However, most of this research relies on de-contextualized data, such as the broad call category (e.g., domestic), to ascertain the nature of the incidents that receive a response from tactical officers. To provide a more nuanced understanding of these incidents, we were provided …
Community policing during the pandemic
Community-oriented policing (COP) is a policing philosophy that focuses on the co-production of public safety by police officers and the community members they serve. This paper utilized the extreme context presented by the COVID−19 pandemic to test the theoretical assumptions on which COP is based. The data presented in this paper were collected from 32 community police officers (CPOs) from a Canadian police service who attended six focus group …
The importance of context: Re-examining the ‘deployments’ of SWAT teams in Canada
Based on an analysis of data released through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, Canadian researchers have suggested that Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams are no longer exclusively deployed to resolve high-risk incidents but now frequently respond to routine calls that do not necessitate their involvement. Given concerns about these conclusions, we submitted the same FOI requests to the 14 police agencies examined by Roziere and Walby…
Psychology (21 works) · Political science (17 works) · Policing Practices and Perceptions (14 works) · Public relations (13 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Criminology (9 works) · Law (9 works) · Computer Science (8 works) · Crime Patterns and Interventions (8 works) · Medicine (8 works)