May 14, 2019
National Use of Force Data Collection
Ohio and Tennessee are First and Second States to Enroll as Bulk Contributors
In recent years, high-profile events involving the use of force in the law enforcement community have drawn attention to the need for a national collection of use-of-force data. In response to requests from major law enforcement agencies and local, state, tribal, and federal partners, the FBI launched a six-month pilot study, which included the involvement of 98 law enforcement agencies, spanning the time period of July 1 through December 31, 2017. Participants voluntarily reported law enforcement use-of-force incidents that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of a person, along with incidents that involved the discharge of a firearm at or in the direction of a person. In January, the FBI officially launched the National Use-of-Force Data Collection and the first full data publication year.
Although the pilot study has been completed, a number of participants in the pilot continue to submit their data. In addition, thousands of law enforcement agencies have enrolled in this collection in preparation for the national launch. On February 13, 2018, the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS) was the first state to enroll in the National Use-of-Force Data Collection as a bulk submitter. Bulk data submission occurs when a state or agency provides the FBI their data in one file, rather than by submitting individual reports via the Use-of-Force Portal. James Luebbers, criminal justice planning supervisor for the Office of Criminal Justice Services, a division of the ODPS, said the ODPS is a strong supporter of data-driven approaches in decision making. “The collection of a standardized set of statistical data is a way to better understand any systemic patterns of these incidents. Otherwise, we are far more limited in our analysis when making decisions,” he said.
