How New Jersey’s New Use of Force Policies Are Impacting Officer Training & Public Safety

In 2021, New Jersey introduced new use of force policies, including mandatory training in de-escalation and peer intervention, and new systematic use of force data collection. But how have these efforts impacted officers and their day-to-day policing practices? And what should policymakers know based on what happened in New Jersey?

NPI researchers conducted the first-of-its-kind, multi-year and multi-method evaluation, aiming to assess the impacts of these changes across more than 520 law enforcement agencies and over 31,000 officers.

The final two reports are now available. NPI has made multiple resources for the field accessible, including three full reports, four executive summaries, and a how-to guide for summarizing data for the public. Below, you’ll learn more about all reports.

Key Insights: Changes in Police Use of Force Following Statewide Reform Efforts (Report 2)
In this report, the authors examined whether the initiative achieved its primary goal of reducing use of force incidents and minimizing injuries to officers and community members while reviewing available data on civilian complaints.

• Mandated use of force training didn’t produce direct, statewide reductions in use of force or officer injuries. Rather, some agencies decreased, others increased, and many remained stable.
• In the long term, total statewide use of force increased alongside similar increases in arrests and serious offenses, suggesting an overall increase in police activities.
• In nearly three-quarters of agencies, force events were so infrequent that detecting statistically significant changes was difficult.
• Reports of officer and subject injuries rose in step with use of force. However, statewide patterns suggest that officers’ and subjects’ risk for injury within individual interactions did not significantly increase.

Authors: Nicholas Corsaro, Ph.D., Gabrielle T. Isaza, PhD, Ryan Fisher, PhD, and Hannah D. McManus, PhD

Key Insights: Lessons Learned from the Implementation of Statewide Use of Force Reform (Report 3)
Researchers conducted a comprehensive review of departmental use of force policies, semi-structured interviews with law enforcement executives and the coordinators of mandated training, and a cross-sectional survey of law enforcement executives. This report adds to the limited research exploring how change is implemented and sustained within law enforcement agencies.

• 168 New Jersey law enforcement agencies provided their use of force policies, demonstrating strong compliance with the NJOAG’s use of force policy.
• Interviews illustrated inconsistencies in how the mandatory use of force training was implemented, particularly regarding fidelity to training models.
• Surveys and interviews with law enforcement executives confirmed that while many observed the value of the reform package’s goals, variability in implementation experiences and challenges related to available support and resources for implementation were common.

Authors: Gabrielle T. Isaza, PhD, Hannah D. McManus, PhD, and Brooke Marston, M.S.

The first report, Examining Police Reforms in New Jersey: Impacts on Officer Attitudes and Self-Reported Behavior, released in January 2025, and directly surveyed more than 14,000 officers before and after they completed Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) de-escalation training and Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) peer intervention training to assess the impact.

Key Insights: Examining Police Reforms in New Jersey: Impacts on Officer Attitudes and Self-Reported Behavior (Report 1, released January 2025)

• Officers overwhelmingly support de-escalation and peer intervention training.
• Training enhances officers’ attitudes toward use of force, community interactions, and peer accountability.
• Data suggests that refresher training may be necessary to maintain long-term impact.
• Findings provide useful insights for agencies implementing or expanding similar training programs.

Authors: Gabrielle T. Isaza, PhD, Ryan T. Motz, PhD, Hannah D. McManus, PhD, Nicholas Corsaro, PhD, and Amanda M. Shoulberg, MA