According to a report released today by the International Association of
Chiefs of Police, police did not use force of any kind in their response -
99.96% of the time. The report, which is a comprehensive study of police-
use-of-force, included the use of physical, chemical, impact, electronic and firearm force. The preliminary findings reflect data from approximately 400 law enforcement agencies in seven pilot states: Arkansas, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington.
Contrary to the image projected by the media, police rarely use force in
their interaction with citizens. While the study is not nationally
representative, data presented in the report are highly representative of
the aggregate of contributing organizations. Key findings for the two most
recent data years (1996 and 1997) include: officers were most likely to use
force while making arrests, followed by disturbances and traffic stops and
78% of female subjects and 60% of male subjects suffered no reported
injuries resulting from police-use-of-force encounters.