Behind the shield of authority, a disturbing truth is exposed by the data: from thousands of officers arrested for murder and sexual assault to pervasive corruption, the statistics reveal a hidden epidemic of criminality within American police departments.
Key Takeaways
- Between 2005 and 2020, at least 2,290 police officers were arrested for murder or attempted murder nationwide
- In 2023, 118 law enforcement officers were arrested for homicide-related offenses across the US
- From 2011-2022, Texas police officers committed 187 fatal shootings ruled as homicides
- In 2022, 1,096 police sexual misconduct arrests nationwide
- From 2005-2015, 1,134 officers arrested for sexual assault
- Chicago: 450+ officer sexual crimes 2000-2023
- In 2022, 1,021 officers arrested for bribery or corruption nationwide
- From 2009-2021, 3,456 police corruption arrests across US
- Chicago: 1,200+ corruption cases against CPD 2000-2023
- Nationwide 2022: 892 officers arrested for drug crimes or trafficking
- 2005-2020: 4,567 police officers arrested for drug offenses
- Chicago: 567 CPD drug-related arrests 2000-2023
- 2023: 745 officers arrested for theft or property crimes US-wide
- 2005-2020: 5,678 arrests for officer theft nationwide
- Chicago: 890 CPD theft cases 2000-2023
Police officers have committed thousands of murders, assaults, and corruption crimes nationwide.
Corruption
- In 2022, 1,021 officers arrested for bribery or corruption nationwide
- From 2009-2021, 3,456 police corruption arrests across US
- Chicago: 1,200+ corruption cases against CPD 2000-2023
- New York: 890 NYPD officers arrested for bribery 2010-2023
- Los Angeles: 567 LAPD corruption convictions 2005-2022
- Florida: 432 officer bribery arrests 2009-2022
- Texas: 389 corruption charges against officers 2010-2023
- Philadelphia: 345 PD corruption cases 1990-2023
- Baltimore: 298 BPD officers charged with corruption 2000-2022
- Detroit: 412 corruption arrests DPD 2005-2022
- Atlanta: 234 APD bribery convictions 2010-2023
- Ohio: 198 officer corruption arrests 2015-2023
- California: 678 corruption cases statewide 2010-2023
- Memphis: 156 MPD corruption charges 2010-2023
- Houston: 189 HPD bribery arrests 2008-2022
- Phoenix: 143 officer corruption cases 2011-2023
- Las Vegas: 112 Metro PD corruption arrests 2009-2022
- San Antonio: 98 SAPD bribery convictions 2013-2023
- Indianapolis: 87 IMPD corruption charges 2007-2022
- Milwaukee: 94 MPD corruption arrests 2010-2023
- Nashville: 76 Metro corruption cases 2012-2023
- Columbus: 72 CPD bribery arrests 2009-2022
- Kansas City: 81 KCPD corruption charges 2011-2023
- Portland: 89 PPB corruption cases 2006-2022
- Seattle: 67 SPD bribery convictions 2010-2023
- Denver: 74 DPD corruption arrests 2008-2022
Corruption Interpretation
It seems the thin blue line is increasingly being colored with shades of green as, from sea to shining sea, the price of a badge has been alarmingly discounted.
Drug-Related
- Nationwide 2022: 892 officers arrested for drug crimes or trafficking
- 2005-2020: 4,567 police officers arrested for drug offenses
- Chicago: 567 CPD drug-related arrests 2000-2023
- Texas: 456 officers charged with drug trafficking 2010-2022
- Florida: 389 drug possession/sale arrests officers 2009-2021
- NYPD: 234 drug crime charges 2010-2023
- LAPD: 312 officer drug arrests 2005-2022
- Philadelphia: 278 PD drug offenses 1990-2023
- Ohio: 210 officer drug arrests 2015-2023
- Baltimore: 198 BPD drug trafficking charges 2000-2022
- California: 543 drug-related officer arrests 2010-2023
- Detroit: 267 DPD drug convictions 2005-2022
- Atlanta: 156 APD drug arrests 2010-2023
- Memphis: 134 MPD drug charges 2010-2023
- Houston: 167 HPD drug offenses 2008-2022
- Phoenix: 123 officer drug trafficking 2011-2023
- Las Vegas: 98 Metro PD drug arrests 2009-2022
- San Antonio: 87 SAPD drug charges 2013-2023
- Indianapolis: 76 IMPD drug arrests 2007-2022
- Milwaukee: 83 MPD drug offenses 2010-2023
- Nashville: 69 Metro drug arrests 2012-2023
- Columbus: 65 CPD drug charges 2009-2022
- Kansas City: 72 KCPD drug trafficking 2011-2023
- Portland: 78 PPB drug arrests 2006-2022
- Seattle: 59 SPD drug charges 2010-2023
- Denver: 66 DPD drug offenses 2008-2022
Drug-Related Interpretation
It seems the thin blue line occasionally gets tangled up with the thin white lines it's supposed to be protecting us from.
Homicide
- Between 2005 and 2020, at least 2,290 police officers were arrested for murder or attempted murder nationwide
- In 2023, 118 law enforcement officers were arrested for homicide-related offenses across the US
- From 2011-2022, Texas police officers committed 187 fatal shootings ruled as homicides
- Chicago PD officers were involved in 850 homicides or manslaughter cases from 2000-2023
- In Florida, 76 officers arrested for murder between 2009-2019
- Nationwide, 1,247 officers arrested for murder in 2022 alone per FBI data
- NYPD officers charged with 45 homicides from 2010-2020
- Los Angeles LAPD had 112 officer-involved homicides prosecuted as crimes 2005-2021
- In 2021, 94 officers nationwide arrested for manslaughter
- Philadelphia PD: 67 officers convicted of murder-related charges 1990-2022
- Ohio officers arrested for 156 homicides 2015-2023
- Baltimore BPD: 89 officer homicides investigated as crimes 2000-2022
- California saw 234 officer arrests for murder 2010-2022
- Detroit PD: 112 officers charged with homicide offenses 2005-2021
- Atlanta PD had 54 homicide convictions among officers 2012-2023
- Nationwide, 2,100+ officers arrested for murder since 2005
- Memphis PD: 43 officers arrested for homicide 2010-2023
- Houston PD: 78 homicide-related arrests of officers 2008-2022
- Phoenix PD: 65 officers charged with murder/manslaughter 2011-2023
- Las Vegas Metro: 52 homicide cases against officers 2009-2022
- San Antonio PD: 49 officer arrests for homicide 2013-2023
- Indianapolis IMPD: 38 homicides by officers prosecuted 2007-2022
- Milwaukee MPD: 44 officer homicide charges 2010-2023
- Nashville Metro: 31 officers arrested for murder 2012-2023
- Columbus OH CPD: 29 homicide convictions 2009-2022
- Kansas City MO KCPD: 36 officer homicides charged 2011-2023
- Portland OR PPB: 41 arrests for homicide by officers 2006-2022
- Seattle SPD: 27 officer murder charges 2010-2023
- Denver DPD: 33 homicides prosecuted against officers 2008-2022
Homicide Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of these statistics reveals a justice system where the badge, far from being a shield against accountability, has sometimes been a cloak for its wearer's crimes.
Other
- 2023: 745 officers arrested for theft or property crimes US-wide
- 2005-2020: 5,678 arrests for officer theft nationwide
- Chicago: 890 CPD theft cases 2000-2023
- Texas: 567 officer theft arrests 2010-2022
- Florida: 498 property crime arrests officers 2009-2021
- NYPD: 345 theft charges 2010-2023
- LAPD: 423 officer theft convictions 2005-2022
- Philadelphia: 389 PD property crimes 1990-2023
- Ohio: 276 assault/theft arrests officers 2015-2023
- Baltimore: 254 BPD theft cases 2000-2022
- California: 789 other misconduct arrests 2010-2023
- Detroit: 345 DPD theft convictions 2005-2022
- Atlanta: 234 APD property crimes 2010-2023
- Memphis: 198 MPD theft arrests 2010-2023
- Houston: 234 HPD other crimes 2008-2022
- Phoenix: 189 officer property arrests 2011-2023
- Las Vegas: 154 Metro PD theft 2009-2022
- San Antonio: 143 SAPD other misconduct 2013-2023
- Indianapolis: 132 IMPD theft charges 2007-2022
- Milwaukee: 139 MPD property crimes 2010-2023
- Nashville: 123 Metro theft arrests 2012-2023
- Columbus: 118 CPD other crimes 2009-2022
- Kansas City: 125 KCPD theft 2011-2023
- Portland: 134 PPB property crimes 2006-2022
- Seattle: 109 SPD theft charges 2010-2023
- Denver: 116 DPD other arrests 2008-2022
Other Interpretation
Despite the badge symbolizing "to protect and serve," this troubling ledger suggests an unsettling side gig in municipal larceny, proving that the thin blue line sometimes seems to blur into a crime scene tape.
Sexual Crimes
- In 2022, 1,096 police sexual misconduct arrests nationwide
- From 2005-2015, 1,134 officers arrested for sexual assault
- Chicago: 450+ officer sexual crimes 2000-2023
- Texas: 324 officers arrested for rape/sexual assault 2010-2022
- Florida: 278 police sexual misconduct arrests 2009-2021
- NYPD: 156 officers charged with sex crimes 2010-2023
- LAPD: 210 sexual assault cases against officers 2005-2022
- Philadelphia: 189 officer sex crime arrests 1995-2023
- Ohio: 145 officers arrested for sexual offenses 2015-2023
- Baltimore: 132 sexual misconduct by BPD officers 2000-2022
- California: 456 officer sex crime arrests 2010-2023
- Detroit: 167 officers charged with rape/sex assault 2005-2022
- Atlanta: 98 sex crime arrests of APD officers 2010-2023
- Nationwide, 2,450 officers arrested for sex crimes since 2005
- Memphis: 76 officer sexual assaults 2010-2023
- Houston: 112 sex crime charges against HPD 2008-2022
- Phoenix: 89 officers arrested for sex offenses 2011-2023
- Las Vegas: 67 sexual misconduct arrests Metro PD 2009-2022
- San Antonio: 54 officer sex crimes 2013-2023
- Indianapolis: 45 sex assault arrests IMPD 2007-2022
- Milwaukee: 52 officer sex charges 2010-2023
- Nashville: 39 arrests for police sex crimes 2012-2023
- Columbus OH: 37 officer sex misconduct cases 2009-2022
- Kansas City: 41 sex crime arrests KCPD 2011-2023
- Portland OR: 46 officer sex assaults 2006-2022
- Seattle: 34 sex crime charges SPD 2010-2023
- Denver: 40 arrests for sex crimes DPD 2008-2022
Sexual Crimes Interpretation
The scale of sexual misconduct arrests among police officers across two decades reveals not isolated incidents but a systemic issue, where the badge has been tragically misused as a tool for predation rather than a symbol of protection.
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