By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The FBI tracks records on plenty of crimes, but it has not collected statistics on the number of times police use force when interacting with the public.
That is about to change under a pilot program early next year that will compile statistics and establish the first online database on fatal and nonfatal use-of-force among law enforcement, the Washington Post reports.
“Accurate and comprehensive data on the use of force by law enforcement is essential to an informed and productive discussion about community-police relations,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch in a statement Thursday. “The initiatives we are announcing today are vital efforts toward increasing transparency and building trust between law enforcement and the communities we serve.”
But there’s one flaw: The Justice Department is barred from requiring state and local law enforcement to report nonfatal interactions with the public.
The pilot program comes amid high-profile police shootings of black people.
FBI Director James Comey said it’s “unacceptable” and “ridiculous” that there isn’t comprehensive data on law enforcement’s use of force.
