Assessing the Oversight of State Criminal Investigative Agencies on Law Enforcement Use of Force

• In Event: Federal Approaches to Measure Police Use of Force

Abstract

The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing called for law enforcement agencies to better track and record use of force incidents. Being able to provide an accurate picture on the prevalence and circumstances of law enforcement use of force is vital to increasing transparency and informing agency policies and procedures. A key component of this issue is the examination of case outcomes; whether or not the officer(s) involved is criminally responsible and/or acting outside departmental policy. The Bureau of Justice Statistics has been assessing how to capture these data through administrative records, and state criminal investigative agencies offer a unique data source. These agencies act as an external reviewer and can provide criminal outcomes on use of force incidents. This presentation focuses on the results of a survey administered to members of the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA) in order to assess their coverage over use of force cases. An analysis of the jurisdictions served, types of force cases investigated, case disposition, and consistency in collecting incident details across ASCIA agencies for a three year period (2013-2015) will be highlighted.

Authors

• Shelley S. Hyland, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice

• Travis Taniguchi, RTI International

• Joshua Hendrix, RTI International