Managing the bottom line: risk management in policing Carol A. Archbold Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA Abstract Purpose – To present qualitative data illustrating how some of the largest law enforcement agencies in the USA use risk management in their efforts to control police liability. Design/methodology/approach – To explore this topic, two main data sources were utilized: telephone interviews with 354 law enforcement agencies identified the prevalence of the use of risk management by police agencies; and survey data from police agencies provided descriptive information about the roles, duties, and placement of risk managers within each police organization. Findings – Telephone interviews revealed that 14 of the 354 (0.039 percent) law enforcement agencies identified risk management as one of several tools they use to control police-related liability within their organizations. This finding is surprising, given the increase in costs associated with settlements/payouts for police-involved litigation and liability claims over the past few decades. Research limitations/implications – Future research should identify the reasons why police agencies choose not to use risk management in their police liability management efforts. In addition, future research should explore how the characteristics of city government and/or political culture are associated with the use of risk management by law enforcement agencies. Practical implications – This paper can serve as a basic resource for police scholars and practitioners, city/county attorneys, risk managers, and various other city/county agents that are interested in learning about risk management as a way to manage police liability. Originality/value – This paper presents the first national study of risk management in police agencies in the USA. Keywords Risk management, Policing, Police misconduct, Liability Paper type Research paper Introduction Since July 2000, Prince George’s County, MD has paid out $7.9 million in jury awards and settlements in lawsuits that involved police misconduct and excessive force (Washington Post, 2003). In 2001, a jury awarded more than $7 million to a family whose 17-year-old son (unarmed) was fatally shot by a Baltimore Housing Authority police officer (The Baltimore Sun, 2001). In December 2002, the city attorney’s office in Los Angeles provisionally agreed to pay $2.5 million in a settlement with a woman who lost her eye when a police officer shot her with a beanbag projectile because he mistakenly thought she was reaching for a weapon (Los Angeles Times, 2002). These examples represent a small fraction of the multi-million dollar payouts resulting from the use of improper procedures by police officers in the last two years. The increasing costs resulting from payouts in police litigation cases and liability The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister www.emeraldinsight.com/1363-951X.htm The author would like to thank Dr Samuel Walker from the University of Nebraska-Omaha for his guidance and feedback throughout the course of this research project. PIJPSM 28,1 30 Received 4 August 2003 Revised 24 January 2004 Accepted 31 May 2004 Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Vol. 28 No. 1, 2005 pp. 30-48 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1363-951X DOI 10.1108/13639510510580968