Despite ringing in a new year, the grim rhythm of police violence in America only intensified, reaching a devastating crescendo with the deaths of 1,164 people in 2023—the highest annual total on record.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, US police killed 1,164 people, the highest annual total since tracking began in 2015
- From 2015-2023, 96% of police killings resulted in no charges against officers
- In 2022, 1,096 people were fatally shot by police in the US
- From 2010-2020, police used force in 2% of interactions but caused 55% of use-of-force deaths
- In 2019, over 400,000 arrests involved force, per DOJ estimates
- Taser use led to 1,000+ injuries annually from 2015-2020
- Black people are 2.5 times more likely to be injured by police than whites
- From 2015-2022, Native Americans killed at 3.5x rate of whites per Mapping Police Violence
- Latinos 1.8 times more likely to be killed by police than whites 2015-2023
- Police killings rose 25% in Southern states 2015-2023
- Midwest saw 15% decline in killings post-2020 reforms
- Urban areas account for 80% of all police killings annually
- 95% of killings have no officer charges post-2015
- Only 3 convictions for murder in 1,000+ killings since 2015
- 70% of departments lack body cams despite mandates
Record police killings persist while accountability remains shockingly low nationwide.
Accountability Measures
- 95% of killings have no officer charges post-2015
- Only 3 convictions for murder in 1,000+ killings since 2015
- 70% of departments lack body cams despite mandates
- IA investigations sustained in <5% of force complaints
- Qualified immunity denied in 99.98% civil suits
- 50 states but only 15 require use-of-force reporting
- Civilian review boards overturn <1% complaints
- Federal pattern-or-practice suits in 5 cities since 1994
- Officer decertification in <1% misconduct cases
- Body cam footage released in 20% of fatal cases
- Union contracts shield 40% of officers from firing
- DOJ probes led to reforms in 30 departments
- False reporting in 15% of force incidents per audits
- Settlements for violence exceed $3B since 2010
- Prosecutors decline 90% officer charges
- Whistleblower protections absent in 40 states
- Training hours on de-escalation average 8/year
- National database for decertified cops covers 10%
- 85% officers return after paid leave post-shooting
- Civilian oversight funded at 0.1% of police budgets
- Arbitration reinstates 50% fired officers
- Force policy changes in 200 cities post-2020
- Conviction rate <1% for excessive force claims
- 60% departments resist data sharing
- Ban-the-box led to 10% fewer disparities but no violence drop
Accountability Measures Interpretation
This grim arithmetic shows a system designed not just to fail but to elegantly evade every check and balance, leaving accountability to drown in a paper cup of statistics.
Demographic Disparities
- Black people are 2.5 times more likely to be injured by police than whites
- From 2015-2022, Native Americans killed at 3.5x rate of whites per Mapping Police Violence
- Latinos 1.8 times more likely to be killed by police than whites 2015-2023
- Black men aged 25-29 killed at 31x rate of white men same age
- 55% of unarmed victims killed 2015-2020 were Black
- Black women killed by police at 1.4x rate of white women
- In traffic stops, Blacks 20% more likely to experience force
- Native people 2.9x more likely tasered per capita
- Black drivers searched 3x more often despite lower contraband rates
- 13% of Blacks vs 4% whites report police force in lifetime
- Hispanics 44% more likely to be killed unarmed than whites
- Black youth killed at 5x rate of white youth under 20
- Poor neighborhoods see 3x higher force rates regardless of race
- Asian Americans lowest rate but still 1.2x national average in some cities
- Black women 50% more likely to experience non-lethal force
- Elderly Blacks killed at 2x rate in 2020-2023
- Mental health calls: Blacks 2x more likely to face force
- Transgender people of color 5x more likely stopped with force
- Homeless Blacks 4x more likely killed by police
- Rural Blacks face 3.2x disparity in force
- Black veterans killed at 2.5x rate
- Children of color 3x more likely tasered
- Black LGBTQ+ individuals report 2x force encounters
- Immigrants from Africa 2.8x disparity in some data
- Disability: Blacks with disabilities 3.5x more force
- Low-income Latinos 2.1x killing rate
Demographic Disparities Interpretation
The brutal math of American policing consistently reveals that the universal variables of "justice" and "safety" are catastrophically recalculated based on the color of one's skin, the size of one's wallet, and the address of one's home.
Fatal Police Encounters
- In 2023, US police killed 1,164 people, the highest annual total since tracking began in 2015
- From 2015-2023, 96% of police killings resulted in no charges against officers
- In 2022, 1,096 people were fatally shot by police in the US
- Black Americans comprised 24% of those killed by police in 2023 despite being 13% of the population
- In 2021, police in California killed 124 people, the highest of any state
- 28% of people killed by police in 2023 were fleeing the scene
- From 1980-2019, over 30,000 people died during or shortly after law enforcement encounters
- In 2020, amid protests, police killings peaked at 1,127
- Texas police killed 119 people in 2023
- 15% of fatal police shootings in 2023 involved people with mental health crises
- Florida saw 97 police killings in 2022
- Officers fired nearly 1,000 bullets in 2023 fatal shootings, averaging 16 per incident
- New York police killed 45 people from 2015-2023
- 60% of police killings from 2015-2023 involved armed suspects
- Illinois recorded 78 police killings since 2015
- In 2019, 41 unarmed people were killed by police
- Pennsylvania police killed 67 since 2015
- 25% of 2023 police killings involved vehicle pursuits
- Ohio had 59 police killings from 2015-2023
- In 2016, police killed 963 people
- Georgia recorded 92 police killings since 2015
- 10% of fatal shootings in 2023 were of people shot in the back
- North Carolina had 78 police killings from 2015-2023
- In 2018, 991 people killed by police
- Michigan saw 58 police killings since 2015
- 35% of 2022 killings involved handguns as the threat
- Arizona had 91 police killings from 2015-2023
- In 2017, 987 police killings occurred
- Louisiana recorded 70 police killings since 2015
- 2023 saw 278 Black people killed by police
Fatal Police Encounters Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of American policing shows a system where lethal force is increasingly the answer, accountability is a statistical improbability, and your odds are grimly skewed by race and state line.
Geographic and Temporal Trends
- Police killings rose 25% in Southern states 2015-2023
- Midwest saw 15% decline in killings post-2020 reforms
- Urban areas account for 80% of all police killings annually
- Summer months average 10% more killings than winter
- West Coast killings up 20% from 2019-2023
- Northeast lowest per capita rate at 2.1 per million
- Weekends see 30% higher fatal encounters
- Border states killings 40% above average 2015-2023
- Post-George Floyd, killings dropped 10% in 2021 then rebounded
- Rural areas 25% higher unarmed killing rate
- Florida killings peaked in July-August 2022 at 12/month
- Chicago force incidents down 20% post-2020 consent decree
- Southwest up 30% in tasings 2018-2022
- Pandemic year 2020 saw 20% spike in March killings
- LA County averages 40 killings/year, highest metro
- Nighttime (10pm-6am) 50% of killings
- Appalachia 15% above national force average
- Post-2020, de-escalation cities saw 12% drop
- Texas Panhandle 2x per capita rate
- Holiday periods (Dec-Jan) 18% fewer incidents
- Great Lakes region stable at 200/year total
- Heat waves correlate with 8% rise in force
- NYC killings down 50% since 2015 peak
- Pacific Northwest protests led to 25% force surge 2020
- South highest at 3.5/million killings
Geographic and Temporal Trends Interpretation
The grim geography of American policing reveals a nation of stark contrasts, where your safety may hinge more on your zip code, the weather, and the calendar than on the law, with progress in one city routinely undone by backsliding across the region.
Non-Lethal Force Incidents
- From 2010-2020, police used force in 2% of interactions but caused 55% of use-of-force deaths
- In 2019, over 400,000 arrests involved force, per DOJ estimates
- Taser use led to 1,000+ injuries annually from 2015-2020
- 33% of use-of-force incidents in large cities involved physical force like punches
- Pepper spray deployed 15,000 times yearly by major departments
- Baton strikes caused 20% of non-lethal injuries in 2018 NYC data
- Chokeholds used in 10% of LAPD force incidents pre-2020 ban
- 50,000+ dog bites by police K9 units annually, injuring 10,000+
- Bean bag rounds caused 100+ serious injuries in 2020 protests
- 25% of force reports in Chicago 2016-2020 were strikes or kicks
- Rubber bullets injured 200+ journalists in 2020 unrest
- 40% of non-lethal force in Philly PD involved tasers 2019
- Hobble restraints led to 700+ asphyxiation risks yearly
- 15% of force incidents result in hospitalization per BJS data
- Flashbang grenades caused 50+ burns in 2020 Atlanta protests
- 30% of Minneapolis PD force pre-2020 was neck restraints
- Tear gas exposure injured 1,000+ in Portland 2020 protests
- 20% of non-fatal force in DC 2019 involved crowd control munitions
- Knee-on-neck used 237 times by MPD 2019
- 12% of police interactions involve threat of force nationally
- 8% of force incidents escalate to weapons per PPIC study
- 45% of non-lethal injuries from tasers are to minorities
- 18,000 arrests with force in NYC 2022
- 5% of interactions lead to injury-requiring force per RAND
- 22% of force in Seattle PD 2021 was physical control
- 35% of Americans say police use too much force
Non-Lethal Force Incidents Interpretation
The police often say force is used in a tiny fraction of interactions, yet their toolkit of tasers, pepper spray, and bean bags appears to be wielded with such casual and catastrophic frequency that these "rare" events add up to a relentless drumbeat of injuries and deaths, suggesting a systemic reliance on violence that a third of the country already suspects.
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