Based on population, a Black person was 5.7x as likely and a Latinx person was 1.8x as likely to have deadly force used on them than a White person in Los Angeles from 2016-18.
Only 1 in every 22 complaints were ruled in favor of civilians from 2016-18.
Police made 5.4x as many arrests for misdemeanors as for violent crimes in 2016-2018.
Using batons, strangleholds, tasers & other weapons
1,942 Incidents | 62.0 every 10k arrests | ▶-40%
^ Used More Force per Arrest than 47% of Depts
118 Shootings & 79 other deaths or serious injuries
197 Incidents | 6.3 every 10k arrests | ▶+8%
^ Used More Deadly Force per Arrest than 72% of Depts
This is the first statewide Police Scorecard in the United States. It was built using data from California's OpenJustice database, public records requests, national databases and media reports.
Use this Scorecard to identify issues within police departments that require the most urgent interventions and hold officials accountable for implementing solutions. For example, cities with higher rates of misdemeanor arrests could benefit most from solutions that create alternatives to policing and arrest for these offenses. In cities where police make fewer arrests overall but use more force when making arrests, communities could benefit significantly from policies designed to limit police use force. And cities where complaints of police misconduct are rarely ruled in favor of civilians could benefit from creating an oversight structure to independently investigate these complaints.
Here's how to start pushing for change:
If you have feedback, questions about the project, or need support with an advocacy campaign, contact our Project Lead, Samuel Sinyangwe.
Inform data-driven interventions in California's 100 largest cities. Update scores and track progress over time.
Expand to every major law enforcement agency in CA and include additional indicators such as police budgets and jail incarceration.
Work towards a national police scorecard as more data are made available by federal, state, and local agencies. Create the foundation for a National Policing Intervention System to improve policing outcomes nationwide.