FBI releases National Use-of-Force statistics

FBI statistics for 2021 showed that 8,226 law enforcement agencies submitted use-of-force data to the National Use-of-Force Data Collection, managed by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.

The agencies represent over 60 percent of federal, state, local, tribal, and college/university sworn officers. The FBI also noted that 2022 first-quarter data reported to the FBI for January to March 2022 was also released.

The quarter reflected 6,773 law enforcement agencies submitting use-of-force data to the National Use-of-Force Data Collection – representing over 40 percent of all federal, state, local, tribal, and college/university sworn officers.

According to the report, last year, 50.7 percent of use-of-force incidents submitted to the FBI resulted in serious bodily injury to a person, 33.2 percent caused the death of a person, and 17 percent involved the discharge of a firearm at or in the direction of a person.

The FBI indicated the most reported reasons for contact involved officers responding to unlawful or suspicious activities (56.8 percent), followed by traffic stops (11 percent), warrant services/court orders (10.1 percent); medical, mental health, or welfare checks on individuals (7.6 percent); routine patrols other than traffic stops (3.2 percent); and follow-up investigations (2.7 percent).

With regard to use-of-force incidents, the report determined officers most often encountered individuals who failed to comply with verbal commands or other types of passive resistance.

According to the analysis, other types of resistance included displaying a weapon at an officer or another individual, attempting to escape or flee custody, using a firearm against an officer or another individual, and resisting being handcuffed or arrested.