Cataloging the use of lethal restraint 

Cataloging the use of lethal restraint 

After George Floyd was killed, reporters at The Associated Press sought to learn how many others had died following encounters in which law enforcement used force that is not supposed to be fatal.  

Service provided

Database

Data sharing

Collaboration with other investigative journalism

The challenge

While the U.S. government is supposed to catalog non-shooting deaths, poor implementation and inconsistent reporting from local law enforcement agencies mean that no one really knows the scope.

How we helped

A team of journalists led by the AP spent three years reporting this series about how a common police restraint can turn deadly. For the investigation, done in collaboration with the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism and FRONTLINE (PBS), the team created a new database that provides the most complete accounting yet of these cases, and new opportunities to understand patterns in policing. The investigation identified 1,036 deaths over a decade following encounters that involved less-lethal force. The total is likely an undercount.  

AP and other news outlets collaborated to share data and coordinate a pre-investigation release strategy. Series articles ran broadly across, including coverage in the Atlanta Journal Constitution and The Philadelphia Inquirer. With extensive video assets, broadcasters in Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, Texas and Wisconsin picked up the story as well.  

The result

In September 2024, the Police Executive Research Forum, an organization led by law enforcement chiefs and administrators, issued a new report, 15 Principles for Reducing Restrained-Related Death, which advocates immediate changes in training, procedures and the treatment of individuals in police custody. 

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