U.S. police killed over 1,160 people last year, the highest number recorded since tracking began. Black Americans were killed at nearly twice their population share.
Key Takeaways
- 95% of killings have no officer charges post-2015
- Black people are 2.5 times more likely to be injured by police than whites
- In 2023, US police killed 1,164 people, the highest annual total since tracking began in 2015
- Police killings rose 25% in Southern states 2015-2023
- From 2010-2020, police used force in 2% of interactions but caused 55% of use-of-force deaths
Recent police violence statistics show a concerning number of incidents, highlighting urgent needs for accountability and reform.
Related reading
01 · Category
Accountability Measures25 stats
01
95% of killings have no officer charges post-2015
02
Only 3 convictions for murder in 1,000+ killings since 2015
03
70% of departments lack body cams despite mandates
04
IA investigations sustained in <5% of force complaints
05
Qualified immunity denied in 99.98% civil suits
06
50 states but only 15 require use-of-force reporting
07
Civilian review boards overturn <1% complaints
08
Federal pattern-or-practice suits in 5 cities since 1994
09
Officer decertification in <1% misconduct cases
10
Body cam footage released in 20% of fatal cases
11
Union contracts shield 40% of officers from firing
12
DOJ probes led to reforms in 30 departments
13
False reporting in 15% of force incidents per audits
14
Settlements for violence exceed $3B since 2010
15
Prosecutors decline 90% officer charges
16
Whistleblower protections absent in 40 states
17
Training hours on de-escalation average 8/year
18
National database for decertified cops covers 10%
19
85% officers return after paid leave post-shooting
20
Civilian oversight funded at 0.1% of police budgets
21
Arbitration reinstates 50% fired officers
22
Force policy changes in 200 cities post-2020
23
Conviction rate <1% for excessive force claims
24
60% departments resist data sharing
25
Ban-the-box led to 10% fewer disparities but no violence drop
Interpretation
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.
02 · Category
Demographic Disparities26 stats
01
Black people are 2.5 times more likely to be injured by police than whites
02
From 2015-2022, Native Americans killed at 3.5x rate of whites per Mapping Police Violence
03
Latinos 1.8 times more likely to be killed by police than whites 2015-2023
04
Black men aged 25-29 killed at 31x rate of white men same age
05
55% of unarmed victims killed 2015-2020 were Black
06
Black women killed by police at 1.4x rate of white women
07
In traffic stops, Blacks 20% more likely to experience force
08
Native people 2.9x more likely tasered per capita
09
Black drivers searched 3x more often despite lower contraband rates
10
13% of Blacks vs 4% whites report police force in lifetime
11
Hispanics 44% more likely to be killed unarmed than whites
12
Black youth killed at 5x rate of white youth under 20
13
Poor neighborhoods see 3x higher force rates regardless of race
14
Asian Americans lowest rate but still 1.2x national average in some cities
15
Black women 50% more likely to experience non-lethal force
16
Elderly Blacks killed at 2x rate in 2020-2023
17
Mental health calls: Blacks 2x more likely to face force
18
Transgender people of color 5x more likely stopped with force
19
Homeless Blacks 4x more likely killed by police
20
Rural Blacks face 3.2x disparity in force
21
Black veterans killed at 2.5x rate
22
Children of color 3x more likely tasered
23
Black LGBTQ+ individuals report 2x force encounters
24
Immigrants from Africa 2.8x disparity in some data
25
Disability: Blacks with disabilities 3.5x more force
26
Low-income Latinos 2.1x killing rate
Interpretation
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.
03 · Category
Fatal Police Encounters30 stats
01
In 2023, US police killed 1,164 people, the highest annual total since tracking began in 2015
02
From 2015-2023, 96% of police killings resulted in no charges against officers
03
In 2022, 1,096 people were fatally shot by police in the US
04
Black Americans comprised 24% of those killed by police in 2023 despite being 13% of the population
05
In 2021, police in California killed 124 people, the highest of any state
06
28% of people killed by police in 2023 were fleeing the scene
07
From 1980-2019, over 30,000 people died during or shortly after law enforcement encounters
08
In 2020, amid protests, police killings peaked at 1,127
09
Texas police killed 119 people in 2023
10
15% of fatal police shootings in 2023 involved people with mental health crises
11
Florida saw 97 police killings in 2022
12
Officers fired nearly 1,000 bullets in 2023 fatal shootings, averaging 16 per incident
13
New York police killed 45 people from 2015-2023
14
60% of police killings from 2015-2023 involved armed suspects
15
Illinois recorded 78 police killings since 2015
16
In 2019, 41 unarmed people were killed by police
17
Pennsylvania police killed 67 since 2015
18
25% of 2023 police killings involved vehicle pursuits
19
Ohio had 59 police killings from 2015-2023
20
In 2016, police killed 963 people
21
Georgia recorded 92 police killings since 2015
22
10% of fatal shootings in 2023 were of people shot in the back
23
North Carolina had 78 police killings from 2015-2023
24
In 2018, 991 people killed by police
25
Michigan saw 58 police killings since 2015
26
35% of 2022 killings involved handguns as the threat
27
Arizona had 91 police killings from 2015-2023
28
In 2017, 987 police killings occurred
29
Louisiana recorded 70 police killings since 2015
30
2023 saw 278 Black people killed by police
Interpretation
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.
More related reading
04 · Category
Geographic and Temporal Trends25 stats
01
Police killings rose 25% in Southern states 2015-2023
02
Midwest saw 15% decline in killings post-2020 reforms
03
Urban areas account for 80% of all police killings annually
04
Summer months average 10% more killings than winter
05
West Coast killings up 20% from 2019-2023
06
Northeast lowest per capita rate at 2.1 per million
07
Weekends see 30% higher fatal encounters
08
Border states killings 40% above average 2015-2023
09
Post-George Floyd, killings dropped 10% in 2021 then rebounded
10
Rural areas 25% higher unarmed killing rate
11
Florida killings peaked in July-August 2022 at 12/month
12
Chicago force incidents down 20% post-2020 consent decree
13
Southwest up 30% in tasings 2018-2022
14
Pandemic year 2020 saw 20% spike in March killings
15
LA County averages 40 killings/year, highest metro
16
Nighttime (10pm-6am) 50% of killings
17
Appalachia 15% above national force average
18
Post-2020, de-escalation cities saw 12% drop
19
Texas Panhandle 2x per capita rate
20
Holiday periods (Dec-Jan) 18% fewer incidents
21
Great Lakes region stable at 200/year total
22
Heat waves correlate with 8% rise in force
23
NYC killings down 50% since 2015 peak
24
Pacific Northwest protests led to 25% force surge 2020
25
South highest at 3.5/million killings
Interpretation
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.
05 · Category
Non-Lethal Force Incidents26 stats
01
From 2010-2020, police used force in 2% of interactions but caused 55% of use-of-force deaths
02
In 2019, over 400,000 arrests involved force, per DOJ estimates
03
Taser use led to 1,000+ injuries annually from 2015-2020
04
33% of use-of-force incidents in large cities involved physical force like punches
05
Pepper spray deployed 15,000 times yearly by major departments
06
Baton strikes caused 20% of non-lethal injuries in 2018 NYC data
07
Chokeholds used in 10% of LAPD force incidents pre-2020 ban
08
50,000+ dog bites by police K9 units annually, injuring 10,000+
09
Bean bag rounds caused 100+ serious injuries in 2020 protests
10
25% of force reports in Chicago 2016-2020 were strikes or kicks
11
Rubber bullets injured 200+ journalists in 2020 unrest
12
40% of non-lethal force in Philly PD involved tasers 2019
13
Hobble restraints led to 700+ asphyxiation risks yearly
14
15% of force incidents result in hospitalization per BJS data
15
Flashbang grenades caused 50+ burns in 2020 Atlanta protests
16
30% of Minneapolis PD force pre-2020 was neck restraints
17
Tear gas exposure injured 1,000+ in Portland 2020 protests
18
20% of non-fatal force in DC 2019 involved crowd control munitions
19
Knee-on-neck used 237 times by MPD 2019
20
12% of police interactions involve threat of force nationally
21
8% of force incidents escalate to weapons per PPIC study
22
45% of non-lethal injuries from tasers are to minorities
23
18,000 arrests with force in NYC 2022
24
5% of interactions lead to injury-requiring force per RAND
25
22% of force in Seattle PD 2021 was physical control
26
35% of Americans say police use too much force
Interpretation
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.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Police Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/police-violence-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Police Violence Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/police-violence-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Police Violence Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/police-violence-statistics.
Sources & references
44 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level