On August 13, 2007, the Vancouver police had an encounter with Paul Boyd that ultimately ended in Boyd’s death at the hands of an officer. Put yourself in the shoes of a police psychologist who has been brought in to consult on this case. You have been provided with all of the background information about the case (available on Blackboard), including a brief list of potentially relevant psychological phenomena that may provide you with a starting point for this assignment. You now must prepare your report, which is to focus on three basic issues:
- What factors might an officer (on scene during the encounter with Paul Boyd) have considered in their overall risk assessment of the situation (think about the use of force model that was discussed in the module)? In your view, what influence might this assessment have had on the decisions made by the officers, including Constable Chipperfield?
- Consider some of the decisions made by officers in this encounter, the actions that were exhibited by officers, and some of the things the officers reported after the encounter. As a police psychologist with knowledge of use of force dynamics, human psychology and physiology, cognition and memory, how would you explain some of the officers’ decisions, actions, and follow-up reports (including the fact that recall discrepancies between officers seemed to exist)? Remember to use the last document in the list of material to assist with this portion of the assignment.
- Based on your knowledge of police use of force (from what you have learned in this class and what you discovered throughout the process of completing this assignment), do you feel that Constable Chipperfield was justified in shooting Paul Boyd? Why or why not?
Sample Solution