Justice Dept. urged to collect, report data on police shootings

Ninety-six organizations sent a letter on Oct. 3 pressing the Department of Justice on the need for states and law enforcement to collect and report data on fatal police shootings as part of the implementation of the Death In Custody Reporting Act.

“It is unacceptable that two years after Ferguson and the enactment of the Death In Custody Reporting Act, the federal government is not properly collecting data on fatal police shootings,” said Kanya Bennett, legislative counsel for the ACLU. “We have reached a state of crisis with our police-community relations, and solutions can only come once we have solid data.”

Bennett added, “When the Department of Justice disregards DICRA so that states do not have to be the primary entity collecting and reporting data, the federal government sends the message that it is not serious about changing the status quo in policing. These circumstances are likely to create future situations like we saw in Ferguson and other cities, unless the federal government provides real oversight and accountability of the state and local law enforcement that it provides millions of dollars to annually.”

ACLU affiliates and local organizations in these  states also sent letters to the Department of Justice calling for the need of information on deaths in police custody:

California
Connecticut
Illinois
Kentucky
Maryland
Minnesota
Missouri
North Carolina
Nebraska
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
South Dakota
Tennessee
Virginia
Wisconsin

On the Web

The coalition letter is here.