As part of the National Police Foundation Initiative, we are publishing our use of force data to highlight transparency around our policy, process, and training with regards to use of force and how it is investigated. Working to maintain public trust is one of our core principles. It is within this spirit that we are sharing use of force data, including Officer Involved Shootings (OIS). Our officers answer hundreds of thousands of calls annually; a vast majority are calls for service, with very few resulting in any use of force. As outlined in this report, over a two-year period our officers reported using force of any level at a rate of less than half of one percent (0.3%). Under policies and procedures developed in collaboration with the Department of Justice and implemented in January 2014, all use of force incidents are thoroughly investigated.
The Department provides this data with the hope of providing greater transparency of our practices in turn creating more opportunities for us to work collaboratively with the community to drive Department policies and priorities. SPD has taken great care to ensure that the need for transparency is appropriately balanced with the need to ensure that the data release does not interfere with the privacy interests of the individuals involved. Consistent with the City’s Open Data and Privacy Policies, all datasets posted to the City’s Open Data Portal are subject to a thorough three-part privacy review.
Download the report.
Download the data: Use of Force | Officer Involved Shootings
Access the dashboards: Use of Force | Officer Involved Shootings
For more information on our use of force policy and investigations visit: