Snapshot: the last 20 years of law enforcement activities in the United States Heading link

  • 1,634,076 Civilians have been treated in hospitals for injuries sustained during contact with law enforcement.

  • 10,547 At least 10,547 civilians have been killed by law enforcement officers.

  • 333,887 Law enforcement officers have been injured after experiencing an assault on the job.

Protesting police use of force - George Floyd protests in Chicago

What we do Heading link

The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many others have sparked outcry around the world. But most cases go unrecognized by the media and general public; every day in the United States, people like Floyd and Taylor are injured or killed during law enforcement activities. While police activities broadly impact many lives, Black men are far more likely to be stopped, detained, arrested, injured and killed by police, which has been a key driver of the Black Lives Matter movement and calls for police reform which date back more than 100 years.

Our Law Enforcement Epidemiology Project aims to build a comprehensive surveillance system to better characterize the magnitude of civilian and law enforcement injuries that occur each year in the U.S. and to guide policy reform that addresses police use of force tactics and strategies to build community trust in the police.

Our latest reports Heading link

Two Chicago police officers, who have been on bikes, talk with a Black man standing on a street corner in downtown Chicago.
2016-23 data details scale of civilian injuries in police interactions
Thursday, October 31, 2024
A new report from the Law Enforcement Epidemiology Project at the UIC School of Public Health finds 35-60 non-fatal injuries requiring medical treatment occur for every police-related fatality in Illinois.
Protestors wipe their eyes after tear gas was deployed by police at a George Floyd protest in Washington DC.
Injuries by Illinois police decrease as neighborhood incomes rise and racial diversity increases new report finds
Thursday, October 31, 2024
This study evaluated the relationship between civilian injuries caused during interactions with police and community-level sociodemographic using Illinois hospital data from 2016-2022.
A police officer pulls over a driver on the side of a highway.
Research details risk factors for injuries in police interactions
Friday, July 2, 2021
This report details demographics of people injured in law enforcement interventions, the types of injuries sustained, hospitalization rates and predictors for injury as compared with general assaults.
A police car is parked at the edge of an area of a street marked off with police tape.

In one year in the US...

More than 50 million persons in the U.S. have contact with police during a traffic stop, street stop, arrest, traffic accident or resident initiated contact, and 1 million experience use of or threat of force.

In one year in Illinois...

In a given year, more than 600 people require medical care in a hospital setting following injuries caused by law enforcement. Since 2016, between 101-168 civilians have died in interactions with law enforcement.

In one year in Chicago...

About 200 people each year require medical care in a hospital setting following injuries caused by law enforcement, and recently the rate of injury has significantly increased since January 2023.

Understanding injury and fatality risks for law enforcement personnel Heading link

Two police cars occupy an exit ramp on a busy expressway at night.
A roll of police tape on a curb.
The exterior of a Chicago police station.
A police officer enters a squad car parked near Times Square in New York City.

The Workforce

As of 2023, over 1.5 million were employed as law enforcement personnel in the U.S. which includes parking enforcement, bailiffs, correctional officers, game wardens, transit police, federal and state police, county sheriffs and municipal police. The mean annual wage is $78,000.

Learn More About The Workforce

Risk of Assault

Approximately 26,689 are injured after being assaulted on the job; these injuries do not include injuries caused during routine employment (falls, slips, motor vehicle collisions, etc.).

Learn More About Risk of Assault

Fatality Risks

Each year, approximately 50-70 officers are feloniously killed by civilians with another 40-70 killed from other work-related causes (e.g. motor vehicle collisions or being struck by vehicle).

Learn More About Fatality Risks

Workers' Compensation

While workers’ compensation data is not widely available, our past research demonstrates that the number of law enforcement injured on the job is substantially higher than the number resulting from assaults or pursuits, with many of these injuries resulting in permanent disability. In Illinois, correctional officers have the highest injury rates compared to other law enforcement personnel.

Learn More About Workers' Compensation

Project Goals Heading link

We aim to provide surveillance data for the U.S., Illinois and Chicago on civilians injured during interactions with law enforcement and officers injured on the job. Because comprehensive data on civilian non-fatal and fatal injuries caused during interactions with law enforcement is lacking in the U.S., this site primarily focuses on civilian injuries.

  • Surveillance

    Establish an active and sustainable surveillance program that will serve as a model for other states across the country.

  • Reporting

    Identify barriers to reporting.

  • Analysis

    Describe long-term impacts on individuals following an injury caused by law enforcement personnel.

  • Recommendations

    Develop policy recommendations for police reform.