Policing & Criminal Justice | Use of Force
Police officers use force with individuals when compliance does not occur after lawful orders are given in order to protect individuals on the scenes involving police response .
The Arlington Police Department ( APD ) reports five ( 5 ) levels of force which ranges from guiding a person by touching them with an empty hand to discharging a firearm . With no national standard on collecting and reporting police use of force , many police departments report areas differently , making cross departmental comparisons challenging . APD has historically recorded and reported a broader range of force application than other agencies .
For example , many departments do not capture the drawing or pointing of a Conducted Energy Weapon ( i . e . taser ) or Firearm , while APD has historically reported those instances . Other police departments typically vary in the types of force used . One common national platform on reporting UOF is the FBI National Use of Force Data Collection . Since 2015 , the FBI has been collecting national-level statistics on use of force . Participation is voluntary and APD supports this initiative through our regular reporting . Reportable incidents to the FBI must result in the death or serious bodily injury of a person , or the discharge of a firearm by a law enforcement officer at or in the direction of a person . This context must be kept in mind in reviewing the total incidents of use of force by APD . The number of incidents translates to 4.6 Use of Force Incidents for every 1,000 Calls for Service . This equates to less than 0.5 % of Calls for Service where force was used . This means that in about 99.5 % of all calls , no force was applied . Many of the original Unity Council recommendations focused on initiatives that would build trust between APD and Arlington ’ s minority communities .
The department has engaged in several initiatives focused on this goal such as Cooking with Cops , a community cookout with Arlington Police and residents and Game Up 5.0 , an opportunity for Arlington Police and youth to connect with each other .
When evaluating Use of Force ( UOF ) data from 2019 to 2022 , the below findings were noted :
• The total number of UOF incidents decreased by 11.2 % ( 1,131 to 1,004 )
• The total number of UOF occurrences increased by 20 % ( 3,044 to 3,655 )
• The number of subjects against whom force was used decreased by 13.9 % ( 1,636 to 1,408 )
• A 26.2 % decrease from 2019 in Calls for Service , including dispatched , self-initiated activity and traffic stops .
Unity Council Report 2023 94