Instagram Facebook-f Linkedin-in Threads-square Tiktok

Donate

Disclosure statement

use of
force

Police use force on Black people at disproportionate rates and are over three times more likely to kill Black people than White people in such interactions. Law enforcement agencies track “force” in many different ways, with no national standard. This means there is no accurate, complete picture of one of the most serious consequences of contact between police and community members.

What is clear is that disparities in police use of force are influenced by many factors, including individual racism as well as departmental policies. Comprehensive policies are shown to limit when officers use force. And police departments that track their use of force data in a detailed, standardized fashion can illuminate patterns that reveal the need for change.

Featured Post

Putting an End to Senseless Violence on
Black Bodies

The time for change has been, and always is, now. Will you join us?
READ MORE

Data by-the-numbers

Data analyzed by the Center for Policing Equity from 24 jurisdictions nationwide consistently shows that police stop and use force on Black people at disproportionately high rates relative to White people.

Featured Resources

Substantial and effective change in our collective approach to public safety can only be driven by community voice.

Resource LIBRARY

“Written use of force policies should go beyond the minimum constitutional standard for the use of force set by the Supreme Court in the landmark case Graham v. Connor. Comprehensive policies help officers understand limits on using force and how to effectively prevent the use of force.”

“​​Requiring complete, detailed data about the use of force is critical to reducing harm against Black communities—and policed communities generally—because it can motivate action by people with power to reduce disparities.”

“The best way to reduce use of force is to reduce situations in which police are unnecessarily addressing situations that call for a different response.”

Scroll to Top