How do we get:
Police departments nationwide to report when their officers use lethal force or seriously injure someone?
Collect that information in a national database?
Release those statistics publicly?
Although police chiefs, community organizers, Republicans, Democrats, federal lawmakers, and local leaders all agree that a comprehensive database of use-of-force is crucial to fighting injustice, all efforts, including a 5 year effort by the FBI, and despite a federal law mandating the creation of a national use-of-force database, have failed.
If we don't know the data, how do we identify the problems and form effective solutions? Currently only 40% of the nation's police departments have submitted use-of-force information to the FBI's Data Collection program because it relies on voluntary participation. The International Association of Chiefs of Police has testified that reporting should be mandatory for every law enforcement agency to ensure comprehensive data collection, but that would require an act of Congress, and even if Congress could pass an act, it may face legal challenges over the federal power to require state and local departments to comply.
To avoid the possible legal challenges, President Trump, House Democrats, and Senate Republicans are working on bills which seek to tie federal grant funding to regular, consistent reporting. Justice officials believe that offering grants to compliant agencies can be an effective tool, but it would still be less effective than making collection and reporting mandatory.
Every President since the first Bush Administration has tried to address this nation's dearth of use-0f-force information. The Justice Department has polled U.S. residents about encounters with police, the FBI has launched data collection programs including help-desk hotlines, and email addresses, as well as a web application to upload case data in bulk, yet two major roadblocks remain. Reporting to the FBI takes, on average, 38 minutes per incident, and while Congress has made reporting a federal law, it has not made funds available to do the job.
For now, data collection will be most effective if legislation happens at the state level. Connecticut is among four states that currently gather and report statewide policing data. The Connecticut General Assembly's Judicial Committee is currently working on an expanded police accountability bill to be taken up in special session later this month. Senator Mae Flexer has made a working draft of An Act Concerning Police Accountability available on her website. Her office has been extremely helpful in locating Connecticut's State Police Use of Force data. Both Senator Mae Flexer's and Representative Rick Hayes' offices have been contacted for policing data resources. Sarah McHale, Senator Flexer's Legislative Aide, is researching municipal reporting data resources to provide more comprehensive statewide information. Representative Rick Hayes' office has not responded to email or voicemail requests.
State of Connecticut Use of Force Reports
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