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UnaccountableAn examination of policing in America amid the push for reform
Despite reforms, on-duty police officers have fatally shot more than 6,000 people since The Washington Post began tracking such shootings in 2015. The circumstances range from what experts deem unavoidable to what prosecutors consider criminal and observers and experts contend many could have been averted with less-aggressive tactics.
Civilian oversight is undermined by politicians and police, who say citizens are ill-equipped to judge officers.
In every state, law enforcement agencies have discretion to withhold a wide range of records.
Police revert to entrenched practices when monitors move on, leadership changes and public scrutiny wanes.
Police and communities The unequal impact of policing
The Post acquired detailed information about up to a decade of homicides. An analysis of murders in 55 of America’s largest cities revealed block by block where police fail to catch killers.
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ReformThe push to remake policing
For years, Prince George’s County has vigorously defended its police department against a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by officers of color. Calls to settle are growing.
Federal interventions at troubled police departments across the country drag on for years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Fatal ForceMore than 6,000 killed by police since 2015
Among the thousands of fatal shootings at the hands of police since 2005, only 54 officers have been charged, a Post analysis found. Most were cleared or acquitted in the cases that have been resolved.
Here's what we found in our 2015 investigation.
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Other Uses of ForceThe costs and controversy of law enforcement tactics
A police driving maneuver used to end chases has killed 30 people since 2016. Many departments refuse to use the tactic because of the risks.
Video of attacking police dogs and the resulting physical injuries are beginning to alter the image of the lifesaving K-9, sometimes known as the “Lassie effect.”
OPINIONS: REIMAGINE SAFETYA project of the Editorial Board, in conversation with outside voices
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