Tag: Police Use of Force

Two Judges on the Sixth Circuit Determine that a Man Reaching for a Holstered Weapon was Not a Threat – Objectively Reasonable

We hold that police officers with probable cause to search a car may inspect passengers’ belongings found in the car that are capable of concealing the object of the search.
— Read on www.objectivelyreasonable.com/2025/12/26/two-judges-on-the-sixth-circuit-determine-that-a-man-reaching-for-a-holstered-weapon-was-not-a-threatis-wearing-a-full-face-ski-mask-in-the-month-of-may-during-the-day-in-a-high-crime-neighborhood-sus/

Get the copy of the Court Decision HERE

A Blueprint for Department-Wide Restraint

An Analysis of NYPD Excessive Force Complaints, Claims, and Lawsuits

Executive Summary

Allegations from the public that New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) officers have used excessive or unnecessary force increased significantly during the Adams Administration,[1] increasing risks to New Yorkers, costly claims payouts, and the erosion of community trust that can undermine public safety. Incidents of excessive or unnecessary use of force investigated and closed by the City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) jumped by 49% between 2022 and 2023, to the highest number since 2013. In addition, in Fiscal Year 2025, “Police Action” claims—including those involving excessive or unnecessary force—were the most common tort claims against the City, with 6,082 claims filed and over $113 million in settlements, making the NYPD the City’s largest source of claims.[2]

Some recent developments suggest that the NYPD is taking steps to better address officer misconduct. In March 2025, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that the NYPD imposed discipline in 100% of substantiated cases prosecuted by the CCRB.[3] The NYPD has also shifted from sending officers who conducted unconstitutional stops solely to retraining, imposing stricter disciplinary measures such as suspension in some cases. However, gaps remain. For example, after CCRB substantiated charges following a Force complaint, NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Trials, Rosemarie Maldonado, found that Lt. Jonathan Rivera’s shooting was not justified under New York law, found him guilty of Assault in the First Degree, and recommended termination in a March 5, 2025 decision. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch reversed that decision, finding Rivera not guilty on all specifications on August 15, 2025, and allowed him to remain employed as an NYPD police officer. Read on HERE

Get the report HERE

Use of Force By NYPD Officers Surged 20% Last Year

Use of force by members of the NYPD surged 20% last year to 11,746 incidents — a record high since the department began detailed record-keeping on the issue in 2016, according to a police department report quietly posted online in recent days. 
Roughly half the incidents of force occurred in response to crimes or violations in progress, which often result in arrests. Incidents involving people in mental or emotional distress and encounters with prisoners accounted for 14% and 7% of the total, respectively, according to the report. 
The department recorded just over 260,000 arrests last year, the highest total since 2017, when there were 286,230 arrests. That year, however, there were 7,369 incidents where force was used — nearly 40% fewer than last year.

Read More HERE

See the report HERE

Suicide By Cop? How Junk Science and Bad Law Undermine Accountability for Killings by Police — California Law Review

“Suicide by cop” refers to encounters in which civilians intentionally provoke a lethal response from law enforcement. Police and their advocates
have developed suicide by cop into junk science that serves as a broad defense against liability. This Article explores the origins and use of suicide by cop, and argues that police should be required to exercise a higher duty of care to protect people from excessive use of force.
— Read on www.californialawreview.org/print/suicide-cop

More than 40 years after police killed Eleanor Bumpurs in her Bronx apartment, people still #sayhername

The 1984 shooting death of a Black grandmother in her Bronx apartment sparked an ongoing movement against police brutality and neglect of the mentally ill.
— Read on theconversation.com/more-than-40-years-after-police-killed-eleanor-bumpurs-in-her-bronx-apartment-people-still-sayhername-267609

Key details of police violence often left out of Phoenix’s edited videos

This is an interesting article that reviews Phoenix PD use and release of police BWC videos.

Phoenix police tout body cameras as a tool for transparency. But a Howard Center investigation found edited footage often omits key moments in violent police encounters.
— Read on cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2025/09/29/phoenix-police-show-violent-encounters-between-officers-and-civilians-in-edited-videos-of-bodycam-footage-critical-details-are-often-left-out/

CT researchers studied 1,500 police use-of-force incidents. Here’s what they found | Connecticut Public

The analysis points to a racial disparity in how municipal police use force against Black people. A significant share of violent police encounters also involve people experiencing mental health challenges, the study found.
— Read on www.ctpublic.org/news/investigative/2025-09-15/connecticut-police-use-of-force-study-uconn

Get a .PDF copy of the report HERE