Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) released the first annual DHS Law Enforcement Use of Force Incidents statistical report for Fiscal Year 2022. Following its launch in November 2023, OHSS is beginning to release data covering all DHS missions, which will advance the Department’s statistical reporting and analysis, support evidence-based policymaking and data-driven decision making and increase transparency.
The report released today supports the goals outlined in the Executive Order on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety (E.O. 14074). It builds on the Department's commitment to transparency and the updates announced in February to the DHS Use of Force Policy that established updated requirements to collect and report use of force data.
The raw data made available to the public in the report published today includes the number of DHS Use of Force Incidents by categories, including use of force against subjects, subject(s) assault against officers, and maritime vessel disabling fire. Additionally, the report includes subject and officer injuries and a table on the types of force used.
The data in this report does not interpret nor track whether the use of force was justified or unjustified, and any specific incident on the use of force is subject to review based on the facts and circumstances of each particular case. Separately, the DHS Use of Force Policy requires each DHS component agency to establish and maintain a use of force review council or committee to perform internal analysis of use of force incidents.
This public statistical product of the DHS OHSS represents a significant step forward in the Department’s efforts to develop independent, high-quality statistics that can inform Department operations, management, and policies. The full report can be found here.
OHSS conducts statistical reporting and analysis Department-wide, supports evidence-based policymaking and data-driven decision making, and, working with the Department’s Chief Data Officer, oversees the development of enterprise-wide data standards. OHSS is led by the DHS Statistical Official and works closely with DHS’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Department’s Privacy Office to ensure that all its products protect privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.
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