IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS
ALONE IN TEXAS, CINCINNATI, AND
A SCHOOL IN SOUTH CAROLINA,
IMAGES OF POLICE USING FORCE,
CONTROVERSIAL OR NOT, INSTANTLY
GO VIRAL THESE DAYS, IMPACTING
PUBLIC PERCEPTION THAT USE OF
FORCE IS ON THE RISE.
THE
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT SHINED ON
MISSOURI IN AUGUST 2014 WHEN
THE FATAL POLICE SHOOTING OF
MICHAEL BROWN IN FERGUSON
SPARKED PROTESTS AND RIOTING.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP
LAST YEAR IN INDEPENDENCE KNOW
OFFICER FIRED BUT THEY HAVE A
DETAILED RECORD.
ECHO IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP
TRACK SO THE PUBLIC KNOWS THE
OFFICERS ARE DOING WHAT THEY
ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.
12,000 ARRESTS, BUT IN ONLY 105
Reporter: RECORDS SHOW THEY
MADE CLOSE TOCASES THEY USED
FORCE.
ONLY ONE OFFICER WAS DISMISSED
FROM THE 200 OFFICER DEPARTMENT
AFTER AN INTERNAL
INVESTIGATION.
ANOTHER ISSUE IS HOW AGENCIES
COUNT USE OF FORCE.
FOUR OFFICERS ON ONE SUSPECT.
SOME MIGHT COUNT THIS AS ONE
INCIDENT WHILE OTHERS COUNT IT
AS FOUR.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME
STANDARDIZATION.
IT WOULD BE A LOT SIMPLER TO
LOOK AT THE DATA AND UNDERSTAND
IT.
WHY IS ONE AGENCY CAPTURING
IT ONE WAY AND ANOTHER ANOTHER
WAY.
THAT IS A PROBLEM.
WE NEED TO HAVE A NATIONAL
CONSENSUS.
REPORTER: PROFESSOR JEFFREY
HINES OVERSEES INVESTIGATIONS.
HE AGREES STATISTICS NEED TO BE
STANDARDIZED.
THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO BELIEVE
WHAT WE ARE SAYING TO THEM.
THIS MAN WAS TASERED AFTER
REFUSING TO COME OUTSIDE.
A COP SLAMMED THIS SUSPECT ONTO
THE SIDEWALK.
AM I HAPPY HE IS NOT HERE
ANYMORE?
YES.
REPORTER: ANTHONY HOLLOWAY
BELIEVES TRACKING THE USE OF
FORCE IS VITAL.
IF HE USES A WEAPON, THAT
SHOULD BE LOOKED AT.
DO WE HAVE AN OFFICER USING TOO
MUCH FORCE OR IS THERE A
TRAINING ISSUE?
EVERYBODY SHOULD BE TRACKING.
REPORTER: THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE SAYS MANY OF THE
NATION'S 18,000 DEPARTMENTS ARE
NOT TRACKING IT.
AND WHERE USE OF FORCE IS
MEASURED, NUMBERS VARY GREATLY.
EACH OF THESE AGENCIES HAVE
INFORMATION SYSTEMS,
DIFFERENT POLICIES ON USE OF
FORCE AND COLLECT INFORMATION
IN VARIOUS WAYS.
REPORTER: AT THE ST.
PETERSBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT
THEY TRACKED MORE THAN 30
DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF USE OF
FORCE EACH YEAR.
JUST A FEW MILES AWAY IN
CLEARWATER THEY TRACKED ONLY
13.
IN 2013 AND 2014 THE
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S
OFFICE REPORTED 762 USES OF
FORCE.
TAMPA REPORTED 8112, MORE THAN
10 TIMES AS MUCH.
BUT THAT MAY BE BECAUSE THEY
COUNT POINTING A GUN OR USING A
CANINE AS USE OF FORCE AND THE
SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT DOES NOT.
ATTORNEY MICHAEL MADDOX
REPRESENTED A CLIENT WHO WAS
PERMANENTLY DISFIGURED DURING A
CANINE TAKEDOWN.
THIS IS A LIFETIME INJURY.
REPORTER: HE SAYS CANINE
DATA SHOULD BE INCLUDED.
DOGS WERE USED NEARLY 600 TIMES
IN THE PAST THREE YEARS TO
CAPTURE SUSPECTS.
WHY NOT HAVE A UNIFORM
PRACTICE OF COLLECTING THE DATA
SO THAT WHEN WE TAKE THE
CLEARWATER POLICE DEPARTMENT
AND LOOK AT THE SAN DIEGO
POLICE DEPARTMENT WE ARE NOT
DOING APPLES AND ORANGES.
REPORTER: BALTIMORE IS A
CASE IN POINT.
IT HAS BEEN IN THE NATIONAL
SPOTLIGHT SINCE FREDDIE GRAY
DIED IN APRIL.
IN BOULDER OFFICERS PULLED
THEIR GUN ON SOMEONE OR TOOK IT
OUT TO CLEAR A SCENE 175 TIMES
LAST YEAR AND THROUGH JUNE OF
THIS YEAR 74 TIMES.
THESE STATISTICS ARE BASED
ON THE OFFICERS.
THESE ARE NOT STATISTICS WE
KEEP BECAUSE WE RECEIVE
COMPLAINTS FROM THE COMMUNITY.
REPORTER: THE DATA HERE IS
ONLY AS GOOD AS THE OFFICER
ADMITTING TO THE USE OF FORCE.
WE FOUND THERE IS NO REQUIRED
UNIFORMITY BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS
TO COMPARE THE DATA.
WE SHOWED YOU ONE USE OF FORCE
INCIDENT FOR A CASE FROM LAST
YEAR, BUT WHEN WE ASKED THEM
FOR YEARLY USE OF FORCE
RECORDS, WE WERE TOLD THEY ARE
NOT ACCESSIBLE IN ANY TYPE OF
ANNUAL REPORT, NOR ARE THEY
AVAILABLE FOR THE PUBLIC
ONLINE.
THEY ARE FAR FROM ALONE WITH
THE LACK OF PUBLIC INFORMATION.
ONLY ONE QUARTER OF THE LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES GAVE ANY
DATA TO SCRIPPS AT ALL AND MADE
THAT EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE
PUBLIC.
HERE IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
USE OF FORCE STATISTICS ARE
EASILY ACCESSIBLE.
USE OF FORCE CASES DROPPED FROM
94 IN 2010 TO 36 SO FAR THIS
YEAR.
REPORTER: NOW THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE IS WORKING TO
STANDARDIZE DATA WHICH WILL PUT
VIDEOS LIKE THESE INTO CONTEXT,
AND IT IS SOMETHING THE
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
CHIEFS OF POLICE WANT.
BRING IT ON.
WHEN THE PUBLIC SEES THE
MILLIONS OF CITIZEN CONTACTS WE
HAVE AND THE 99% OF THEM WHERE