New Report Reveals 94% of Police Use of Force Incidents in Washington D.C. Involve Black People

The Metropolitan Police Department ’s use of force incidents involving Black people increased in 2023.

A new report from the DC Office of Police Complaints shows that 94 percent of people involved in these incidents in 2023 were Black. In 2022, 90 percent of such incidents were against Black people. In total, the number of use of force incidents rose by 11 percent from 2022 to 2023 in Washington D.C.

"Tactical takedowns were the most frequent type of force reported in 2023, accounting for 39% of uses of force,” the report said. Use of force also includes holding down or handcuffing suspects, and the use of batons, dogs, tasers, or guns.

A total of 1,142 use-of-force incidents were reported in 2023, most of which didn’t involve guns. In 2023, MPD opened fire on eight different people and four separate dogs; one person and all four dogs died.

The report shares, "A total of 1,017 MPD officers reported using force in 2023, which is roughly 25% of all MPD officers." Additionally, a suspect assaulted an officer in only a quarter of use of force incidents. According to the report, 45 percent of the officers who reported using force were Black; 52 percent of the MPD is made up of Black officers.

These statistics are disproportionate to the number of Black or African American people who live in D.C. In 2020, the U.S. Census reported that 44.4 percent of D.C.’s population is Black.

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