Who are the “police” in “police violence”? Fatal violence by U.S. law enforcement agencies across levels of government
Abstract Background Police violence is increasingly recognized as an urgent public health problem. Basic questions about police violence, however, remain unanswered, including which types of law enforcement agency are responsible for fatal police violence deaths. Methods We estimated the proportion...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Injury Epidemiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-024-00496-3 |
| _version_ | 1797220071732412416 |
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| author | Jaquelyn L. Jahn Gabriel L. Schwartz |
| author_facet | Jaquelyn L. Jahn Gabriel L. Schwartz |
| author_sort | Jaquelyn L. Jahn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Police violence is increasingly recognized as an urgent public health problem. Basic questions about police violence, however, remain unanswered, including which types of law enforcement agency are responsible for fatal police violence deaths. Methods We estimated the proportion of police violence deaths in the U.S. (2013–2022) that were attributable to local, county, state, federal, or tribal police agencies, using mapping police violence data. We examined proportions overall, by decedent race/ethnicity, and by state. Results Nationally, 60% of decedents were killed by municipal, 29% by county, 8% by state, and 3% by federal, police, with < 1% killed by tribal or other officers. These proportions varied by race/ethnicity, with 56% of Native American decedents killed by municipal police compared to 70–75% among other racially minoritized people. While municipal police were responsible for most deaths in most states, in the Southeast, county police predominated. In some Northeastern states (and Alaska), state police were responsible for > 40% of deaths. Conclusions We identify wide geographic & racial/ethnic variation in the agencies responsible for fatal police violence. Findings suggest that the budgetary and infrastructural shifts required to prevent fatal police violence need to occur at multiple levels of government. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T12:43:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7969018f81ce4199bc20830eea883b29 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2197-1714 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T12:43:43Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Injury Epidemiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-7969018f81ce4199bc20830eea883b292024-04-07T11:05:33ZengBMCInjury Epidemiology2197-17142024-04-011111810.1186/s40621-024-00496-3Who are the “police” in “police violence”? Fatal violence by U.S. law enforcement agencies across levels of governmentJaquelyn L. Jahn0Gabriel L. Schwartz1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements and Population Health Equity, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public HealthDepartment of Health Management and Policy, Urban Health Collaborative, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public HealthAbstract Background Police violence is increasingly recognized as an urgent public health problem. Basic questions about police violence, however, remain unanswered, including which types of law enforcement agency are responsible for fatal police violence deaths. Methods We estimated the proportion of police violence deaths in the U.S. (2013–2022) that were attributable to local, county, state, federal, or tribal police agencies, using mapping police violence data. We examined proportions overall, by decedent race/ethnicity, and by state. Results Nationally, 60% of decedents were killed by municipal, 29% by county, 8% by state, and 3% by federal, police, with < 1% killed by tribal or other officers. These proportions varied by race/ethnicity, with 56% of Native American decedents killed by municipal police compared to 70–75% among other racially minoritized people. While municipal police were responsible for most deaths in most states, in the Southeast, county police predominated. In some Northeastern states (and Alaska), state police were responsible for > 40% of deaths. Conclusions We identify wide geographic & racial/ethnic variation in the agencies responsible for fatal police violence. Findings suggest that the budgetary and infrastructural shifts required to prevent fatal police violence need to occur at multiple levels of government.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-024-00496-3Police violenceHealth equityLaw enforcement |
| spellingShingle | Jaquelyn L. Jahn Gabriel L. Schwartz Who are the “police” in “police violence”? Fatal violence by U.S. law enforcement agencies across levels of government Injury Epidemiology Police violence Health equity Law enforcement |
| title | Who are the “police” in “police violence”? Fatal violence by U.S. law enforcement agencies across levels of government |
| title_full | Who are the “police” in “police violence”? Fatal violence by U.S. law enforcement agencies across levels of government |
| title_fullStr | Who are the “police” in “police violence”? Fatal violence by U.S. law enforcement agencies across levels of government |
| title_full_unstemmed | Who are the “police” in “police violence”? Fatal violence by U.S. law enforcement agencies across levels of government |
| title_short | Who are the “police” in “police violence”? Fatal violence by U.S. law enforcement agencies across levels of government |
| title_sort | who are the police in police violence fatal violence by u s law enforcement agencies across levels of government |
| topic | Police violence Health equity Law enforcement |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-024-00496-3 |
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