KING TV in Seattle Features WSU Spokane Police Reaction Lab

Researchers in our Criminal Justice department are once again gaining attention for their innovative research on police decision-making.

In the past few days, KING TV in Seattle aired two stories featuring the research:

WSU lab studies the science behind police shootings

Shoot or don’t shoot? A reporter is put to the test

This research – led by Bryan Vila, Lois James and Steve James – has been featured before, including on Anderson Cooper 360.

Fusion TV – a young network catered to the millennial generation – featured the team’s research as well:

The method the researchers use put police officers in simulation labs in front of videos featuring the kinds of encounters police officers often are faced with. The officers are hooked up to computers that measure the brain so researchers can look at how long it took to make a certain decision. Officers also use a modified handgun hooked up to a computer to measure how fast and accurate they were.

In both the KING TV and Fusion stories, the reporter took a turn in the simulator and had similar reactions to the experience.