The Use of Unstructured Data to Study Police Use of Force

CHANCE magazine

Abstract: The challenges and opportunities researchers face when working with unstructured data are hardly new. This article defines unstructured data as data that is not organized according to pre-existing schemas or structures for the sake of statistical analysis. Unstructured data poses a unique challenge for researchers focused on police and policing. The article discusses a definition of unstructured data and two of the primary challenges faced when working with such data, namely information extraction and classification problems. Two case studies are used to illuminate the challenges. Read the article off-site.

Tarak Shah, Cristian Allen, Ayyub Ibrahim, Harlan Kefalas, and Bavo Stevens (2024). “The Use of Unstructured Data to Study Police Use of Force.” 5 December, 2024. CHANCE, 37 (4), 18–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/09332480.2024.2434437

© The American Statistical Association (ASA) and Taylor & Francis Group 2024