U.S. Data on Police Shootings and Violence

  • 15 % of civilians who experience police threat of or use of force during legal interventions are injured.

  • 250,000 Up to an estimated 250,000 civilian injuries are caused by law enforcement officers annually.

  • 800 An average of 800 people are killed by law enforcement in the U.S. each year.

An officer of the California Highway Patrol making a traffic stop on southbound State Route 85 in Cupertino.
Interactions with law enforcement
In one year, nearly 50 million persons in the U.S. have contact with police during a traffic stop, street stop, arrest, traffic accident or resident initiated contact.
Police detain woman/girl at park
Threat or use of force
About 750,000 of these civilians experience police threat of or use of force during these interactions.
Protesters react to tear gas at George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C.
Non-fatal hospitalizations
An estimated 250,000 civilians are injured each year by law enforcement, approximately 80,000 suffer a non-fatal injury requiring hospital treatment.
Police detain three men
Racial disparities
Black males comprise 6.1 percent of the total U.S. population but approximately 25 percent of all persons killed by law enforcement.