Education

Biography

Professor Terrill’s research centers on police behavior, with an emphasis on police use of force and police culture. His work has shed light on how and why police officers use force; the various ways that officers think about (i.e., perceptions) and engage in forceful tactics (i.e., behavior); the manner in which organizations structure and guide officers via organizational policy; the resulting impact of using force on citizens and officers; and the complexity with which one must consider the numerous ways police culture manifests, is shared, and influences officer behavior.

Professor Terrill’s research has appeared in a variety of scholarly journals, as well as two books entitled Police Coercion: Application of the Force Continuum (2001, LFB Scholarly Publishing) and Police Culture: Adapting to the Strains of the Job (2014, Carolina Academic Press).

Research Interest

Criminology, Criminal Justice, Forceful tactics

Scientific Activities

Publications

1. Final Report: A Research Note on the Assessing Police Use of Force Policy and Outcomes Project.” Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management.
2. Paoline, Eugene A. III, Jacinta M. Gau, and William Terrill (forthcoming, 2017). “Race and the Police Use of Force Encounter in the United States.” British Journal of Criminology.
3. Michael T. Rossler and William Terrill (forthcoming, 2017). “Mental Illness, Police Use of Force, and Citizen Injury.” Police Quarterly.
4. Terrill, William and Eugene A. Paoline III (2017). “Police Use of Less Lethal Force: Does Administrative Policy Matter?” Justice Quarterly, 34 (2): 193-216.
5. Terrill, William (2016). “To Shoot or Not to Shoot: That Is the Question.” Criminology and Public Policy, 15 (2): 491-496.
6. Terrill, William and Jason Ingram (2016). “Citizen Complaints Against the Police: An Eight City Examination.” Police Quarterly, 19 (2): 150-179.
7. Terrill, William and Eugene A. Paoline III (2015). “Citizen Complaints as Threats to Police Legitimacy: The Role of Officers’ Occupational Attitudes.” Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Education, 31: 192-211.
8. Paoline, Eugene A. III, William Terrill, and Michael T. Rossler (2015). “Higher Education, College Degree Major, and Police Occupational Attitudes.” Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 26: 49-73.
9. Terrill, William, Michael T. Rossler, and Eugene A. Paoline III (2014). “Police Service Delivery and Responsiveness in a Period of Economic Instability.” Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 15: 490-504.
10. Ingram, Jason and William Terrill (2014). “Relational Demography and Officer Occupational Attitudes: The Influence of Workgroup Context.” Journal of Criminal Justice, 42: 309-320.
11. “Supervisory Influences on Officers Perceptions of Less Lethal Force Policy: A Multilevel Analysis.” Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, 37 (2): 355-372.
12. Terrill, William and Eugene A. Paoline III (2013). “Less Lethal Force Policy and Police Officer Perceptions: A Multi-Site Examination.” Criminal Justice and Behavior, 40 (10): 1109-1130.
13. Ingram, Jason, Eugene A. Paoline III, and William Terrill (2013). “A Multilevel Framework for Understanding Police Culture: The Role of the Workgroup.” Criminology, 51 (2): 365-397.
14. Gau, Jacinta, William Terrill, and Eugene A. Paoline III (2013). “Looking Up: Explaining Police Promotional Aspirations.” Criminal Justice and Behavior, 4 (3): 247-272.
15. Terrill, William and Eugene A. Paoline III (2013). “Examining Less Lethal Force Policy and the Force Continuum: Results from a National Use of Force Study.” Police Quarterly, 16 (1): 38-65.
16. Paoline, Eugene A. III, William Terrill, and Jason Ingram (2012). “Police Use of Force and Officer Injuries: Comparing Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs) to Hands and Weapon Based Tactics.” Police Quarterly, 15 (2): 115-136.
17. Rossler, Michael T. and William Terrill (2012). “Police Responsiveness to Service Related Requests.” Police Quarterly, 15 (1): 3-24.
18. Terrill, William and Eugene A. Paoline III (2012). “Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs) and Citizen Injuries: The Shocking Empirical Reality.” Justice Quarterly, 29 (2): 153-182.
19. Paoline, Eugene A. III and William Terrill (2011). “Listen To Me!: Police Officers’ Views of Appropriate Use of Force.” Journal of Crime and Justice, 34 (3): 178–189.
20. Rydberg, Jason and William Terrill (2010). “The Effect of Higher Education on Police Behavior.” Police Quarterly, 13 (1): 92-120.
21. Terrill, William (2009). “The Elusive Nature of Reasonableness.” Criminology and Public Policy, 8 (1): 163-172.
22. Terrill, William, Fredrick Leinfelt, and Dae-Hoon Kwak (2008). “Examining Police Use of Force: A Smaller Agency Perspective.” Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, 31 (1): 57-76.
23. Terrill, William, Eugene A. Paoline III, and Jason R. Ingram (2008). “Non-Lethal Use of Force Policy: Perceptions from the Front-Line.” Law Enforcement Executive Forum, 8 (4): 7-19.
24. Foley, Tracy and William Terrill (2008). “Police Comfort and Victims.” Victims and Offenders,3 (2): 192-216.
25. Terrill, William and Eugene A. Paoline III (2007). “Force Continuums: Moving beyond Speculation and Toward Empiricism.” Law Enforcement Executive Forum, 7 (4): 27-32.
26. Terrill, William and Eugene A. Paoline III (2007). “Non-Arrest Decision Making in Police-Citizen Encounters.” Police Quarterly, 10 (3): 308-331.
27. Paoline, Eugene A. III and William Terrill (2007). “Police Education, Experience, and the Use of Force.” Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34 (2): 179-196.
28. John D. McCluskey and William Terrill (2005). “Departmental and Citizen Complaints as Predictors of Police Coercion.” Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, 28 (3): 513-529.
29. Paoline, Eugene A. III and William Terrill (2005). “The Impact of Police Culture on Traffic Stop Searches: An Analysis of Attitudes and Behavior.” Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, 28 (3): 455-472.
30. Weidner, Robert R. and William Terrill (2005). “A Test of Turk’s Theory of Norm-Resistance using Observational Data on Police-Suspect Encounters.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 42 (1): 84-109.
31. Terrill, William (2005). “Police Use of Force: A Transactional Approach.” Justice Quarterly, 22 (1): 107-138.
32. McCluskey, John D., William Terrill, and Eugene A. Paoline, III (2005). “Peer Group Aggressiveness and the Use of Coercion in Police-Suspect Encounters.” Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 6 (1): 19-37.
33. Paoline, Eugene A. III and William Terrill (2004). “Women Police Officers and the Use of Coercion.” Women and Criminal Justice, 15 (3/4): 97-119.
34. Mazerolle, Lorraine Green, Justin Ready, William Terrill, and Elin Waring (2004). “Problem- Oriented Policing Succeeds in Public Housing.” National Institute of Justice Journal 251: 28-29.
35. Reisig, Michael D., John D. McCluskey, Stephen D. Mastrofski, and William Terrill (2004). “Suspect Disrespect Toward the Police.” Justice Quarterly, 21 (2): 241-268.