A POLICE OFFICER ASKING FOR HIS
JOB BACK AFTER HE KICKED A
MAN'S TEETH OUT.
DENVER POLICE OFFICERS BEAT
A GROUP OF WOMEN.
THE POLICE ENGAGE IN A
PATTERN OF EXCESSIVE FORCE.
A POLICE OFFICER HITTING A
MAN WITH HIS BATON IS RAISING
QUESTIONS.
WE NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT.
YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO
ARREST.
WE NOW HAVE PEOPLE WHO DON'T
TRUST POLICE AND EVEN HATE
POLICE.
WE ARE NEVER GOING TO
COMPLETELY ERADICATE THEM.
DO IT NOW.
IMAGES ARE POWERFUL BUT BY
THEMSELVES DO THEY DISTORT THE
BIGGER PICTURE.
THIS IS AN IN FOCUS SPECIAL
REPORT.
ABC ALONG WITH SCRIPPS
REQUESTED RAW NUMBERS FROM LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
OUR INVESTIGATION FOUND USE OF
FORCE BY POLICE IS NOT
NECESSARILY ON THE RAISED --
RISE NATIONWIDE.
YOU WILL HEAR FROM OUR TEAM OF
REPORTERS AND WHAT WE
DISCOVERED SHOWS
THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED FOR A
STANDARDIZED USE OF FORCE
TRACKING SYSTEM.
AT STAKE, THE FRAGILE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CITIZENS
AND POLICE OFFICERS SWORN TO
SERVE AND PROTECT.
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FORGET
THE LAST MOMENTS OF ERIC
HARRIS'S LIFE, TACKLED TO THE
GROUND AND THEN SHOT BY RESERVE
DEPUTY ROBERT BATES.
I THINK TO MYSELF WHY DID
THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN AND HOW
MUCH LONGER WILL THE CITIZENS
OF AMERICA PUT UP WITH IT?
Reporter: HE IS HIS BROTHER.
JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A
BADGE AND A GUN AND YOU CAN
DOES NOT MEAN YOU DO.
Reporter: HIS DEATH IS
SPARKED PROTEST IN A GRAND JURY
INVESTIGATION, EVENTUALLY
LEADING TO WIDESPREAD CHANGE.
DOES IT REALLY HAVE TO COME
TO HIM DYING TO KNOW THERE WAS
A PROBLEM? Reporter: THE
POLICE CHIEF HAS TAKEN STEPS TO
BRING HIS NUMBERS DOWN.
EVERY TRAINING WE ARE
EMPHASIZING DE-ESCALATION.
RECORDS SHOW IN 2014 OFFICERS
USED FORCE 564 TIMES IN THE
FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR,
213.
WE ARE REALIZING THAT WE DON'T
HAVE TO BE AS HEAVY-HANDED.
Reporter: THIS DEPUTY CAME
ARMED WITH A CANINE AND A GUN
AFTER A GROUP OF MEMBERS
STOPPED FOR HOPPING A LOW RIDER.
ALL THIS FOR THAT?
I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT.
WHY AM I BEING DETAINED?
IF WE DID NOT HAVE THIS
VIDEO WE WOULD NOT BE STANDING
HERE RIGHT NOW.
Reporter: BRANDON DRIVER IS
THE GUY IN THIS VIDEO GETTING
SHOVED BY A CHICAGO POLICE
OFFICER WHO SUSPENSION WAS
RECENTLY OVERTURNED.
AN OFFICER WHO IS TRAINED TO
DEAL WITH SITUATIONS FAR MORE
INTENSE THAN THAT SHOULD NOT
NEED TO USE THAT KIND OF
FORCE.> THEN THERE WAS TAMIR
RICE.
AND 2014 THE 12-YEAR-OLD WAS
SHOT AND KILLED BY CLEVELAND
POLICE.
MY SON WAS A BABY.
POLICE CAN USE DEADLY FORCE
WHEN THEY HAVE PROBABLE CAUSE
WHEN THE SUSPECT POSES A THREAT
OF DEATH OR BODILY HARM TO THE
PUBLIC OR POLICE.
THIS IS TERRIBLY IMPORTANT.
PLEASE OFFICERS ARE GIVEN
AWESOME POWER TO MAKE ARREST IN
USE FORCE AND TAKE HUMAN LIFE
WHEN IT IS LEGALLY JUSTIFIED.
WE HAVE TO HAVE DATA ON THAT.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE.
Reporter: OVER THE PAST FIVE
MONTHS OUR INVESTIGATIVE TEAM
OF REPORTERS LOOKED INTO THE
USE OF FORCE RECORDS FROM
POLICE AGENCIES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
WE DISCOVERED THAT MORE THAN
HAPPY AGENCIES SHOW USE OF
FORCE IS ACTUALLY GOING DOWN.
IT'S TRUE IN OVERLAND PARK
WHERE POLICE RECORDS SHOW A
STEADY DECLINE.
THE MORE IS ONE OF THE
DEPARTMENTS LEADING THE
DOWNWARD TREND IN EXCESSIVE
FORCE.
AND ANOTHER SHERIFF'S
DEPARTMENT MAY HAVE ITS LOWEST
IN YEARS. Reporter: NUMBERS
HAS STAYED RELATIVELY FLAT IN
THE LAST FOUR YEARS, BUT
COMPARED TO OTHER LARGE
DEPARTMENTS IS THAT GOOD, BAD
OR -- WITHOUT REVIEWING EVERY
SINGLE INCIDENT IT IS
IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL.
FOR EXAMPLE DETROIT AND SAN
DIEGO EACH HAVE ABOUT 1000
FEWER OFFICERS THAN PHOENIX BUT
HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER USE
OF FORCE STATS.
THIS IS BECAUSE WHAT THEY
CONSIDER USE OF FORCE.
IN SAN DIEGO THE 2014 THEY
COUNTED 941 TIMES WHEN OFFICERS
POINTED A GUN OR TASER.
PHOENIX REPORTED NONE BECAUSE
THEY DON'T TRACK THAT AS A USE
OF FORCE AT ALL.
POLICE OFFICERS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY KNOW THEY ARE UNDER
INCREASING SCRUTINY.
-- LOCAL ATTORNEY DAVID
ROBINSON SPECIALIZES IN CASE OF
FORCE.
THE ADVENT OF THE VIDEO,
THAT HAS CHANGED THE WAY THE
PUBLIC SEES POLICE OFFICERS IN
ACTION, BUT IT HAS NOT CHANGED
POLICE OFFICERS.
ABOUT 99.9% OF THE TIME WE
DO IT THE RIGHT WAY.
IF THERE IS SOMETHING WE ARE
DOING WRONG, WE WANT THE PUBLIC
TO BRING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION.
WE DON'T WANT OUR OFFICERS
BEHAVING THAT WAY AND THEY
DON'T WANT TO WORK WITH
OFFICERS WHO BEHAVE IN THAT
WAY. Reporter: --
TANGENT BELIEVE -- BETWEEN
POLICE AND THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN
BUILDING FOR YEARS.
WHO DO YOU CALL? Reporter:
KEISHA BROWN LEADS A BALTIMORE
REVIEW CIVILIAN FORWARD
ESTABLISH TO POLICE THE POLICE,
BUT EACH CITY HAS ITS OWN
LIMITATIONS.
WE CAN INTERVIEW WITNESSES,
OTHER OFFICERS, BUT THE ACCUSED
OFFICER, IT'S VOLUNTARY.
IT'S AN OUTDATED PHILOSOPHY
THAT DOES NOT ALLOW FOR TRUE
INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIONS.
IT JUST TAKES ONE
UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT TO SWAY