A newly elected Sheriff in Welch County has been confronted by a community group with concerns regarding the use of force by Sheriff’s Deputies particularly against persons of color. According to the group, this perceived phenomenon has led to an increase in mistrust of the police by the community. In order to determine whether or not both an increase in police misconduct and community mistrust have increased, the sheriff asks you to design a study focusing on the validity of the concerns. Consider whether you would utilize qualitative or quantitative methods to study this issue. Design a study that would answer the sheriff’s questions of whether police use of force has increased and its relationship to community-police trust.
