Crime articles
What FBI data says about law enforcement use-of-force
Two Minneapolis residents have been shot and killed in interactions with federal law enforcement in January, sparking nationwide protests and conversations on law enforcement-involved shootings.In 2019, the FBI launched an effort to provide nationwide statistics on use-of-force incidents known as the National Use-of-Force Data Collection.What is use-of-force?There is no single definition of “use-of-force,” a term often used to describe scenarios in which law enforcement officers use physical intervention during an arrest or an incident. The National Use-of-Force Data Collection tracks incidents during which law enforcement activity results in someone’s death or serious injury, or when an officer fires a gun at somebody. It doesn’t count lower-force incidents when no firearm is fired and no injury is caused, which means the data can only offer insight on some of the more lethal forms of force. When is use-of-force legal?The nation has nearly 100 federal and over 19,000 state and local law enforcement agencies. There's no single policy on when force is warranted.The Department of Justice — home to the FBI and the department employing the second-most law enforcement officers — permits officers to use “only the force that is objectively reasonable to effectively gain control of an incident, while protecting the safety of the officer and others.” The policy specifies it must only be used in cases with no feasible alternatives.The Department of Homeland Security, which is home to ICE, employs more officers than any other federal department. It uses similar language similar to the Justice Department to define its use-of-force policy. Both cite the 1989 Supreme Court case Graham v. Connor, which established this standard of “objective reasonableness.”
How does US law enforcement work? Who has jurisdiction?
High-profile law enforcement activity across the US in 2025 has raised questions about overlapping jurisdictions.How is law enforcement structured in the US?There are about 17,600 government agencies involved in law enforcement in the US, including nearly 100 federal agencies and 17,500 state and local agencies.Their jurisdictions are divided along a few lines: the type of crime, who’s involved, and geography, e.g.:The Drug Enforcement Administration within the Justice Department, as the name suggests, enforces laws and regulations having to do with controlled substances, and the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division, within the Treasury, investigates potential tax compliance violations.The 72 Offices of Inspectors General in federal agencies investigate fraud and abuse within those agencies.State and local law enforcement agencies, along with some federal agencies, generally focus on crime within their geographical boundaries.This structure allows for considerable jurisdictional overlap, which in turn can create considerable confusion.When do state and local police have jurisdiction?Crime response is mainly the responsibility of state and local governments, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.State and local law enforcement agencies enforce laws according to their state and local legislation, which tends to be bound by geography: Local police departments are responsible for towns and cities. At the county level, there’s often an elected sheriff. State police perform statewide investigations across county or municipal borders, patrol highways, and cover areas with no local police of their own.
How many police officers die in the line of duty?
In 2024, 107 officers died in the line of duty, according to the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted report. Sixty-four were killed feloniously, primarily by firearms.Since the FBI began collecting data on officer deaths in 1996, annual deaths have ranged from a low of 76 in 2013 to a high of 146 in 2001. There were 13 more officer deaths in 2024 than in 2023.
What does the Department of Justice (DOJ) do?
The Department of Justice (DOJ, Justice Department) is an executive branch agency responsible for enforcing federal laws and ensuring public safety. Its functions include prosecuting criminal and civil cases, overseeing federal law enforcement agencies, managing federal prisons, upholding civil rights, and issuing justice-related grants. It was established in 1870.
Who are school resource officers, and what do they do for school safety?
School resource officers (SROs) are law enforcement officers tasked with ensuring safety and preventing crime in schools.Like regular police officers, SROs can make arrests, respond to service calls, and document incidents within their jurisdiction.Additionally, SROs serve as educators, emergency managers, and mentors.A 2023 Justice Department report surveyed SROs in the 2019–2020 school year about actions they performed within 30 days prior to being surveyed.How many SROs are there?As of the 2019–2020 school year, there were 23,426 SROs in US schools. These officers aren’t employed by schools, but by local police departments (49.1% of SROs), sheriffs' offices (32.3%), and school district police departments (18.6%).According to the Department of Justice, “SRO candidates should be sworn law enforcement officers or deputies with at least three years’ work experience and an interest in developing positive, community-oriented relationships with youth and the school community.”About 69% of SROs reported that they had responded to an incident in a classroom within the past 30 days when surveyed during the 2019–2020 school year.What do SROs do? SROs perform various duties that can be categorized into investigative, enforcement, patrol and response, security, mentoring, and teaching activities.SROs have four major roles:Law enforcementSROs play a role in maintaining a secure environment within and around school premises. They strive to employ non-punitive approaches when interacting with students, reserving citations and arrests as a last resort, applicable only in narrowly defined circumstances.Informal counselorSROs serve as liaisons to community services that support the well-being of youth and their families.EducatorSROs help educate students on crime prevention, safety measures (such as school shooter drills), drug awareness, conflict resolution strategies, and insights into the legal system and law enforcement operations.Emergency managerSROs help develop and implement emergency preparedness policies and school safety plans. They collaborate with first responders during emergencies and sit on school threat assessment teams.Investigative activitiesSROs conduct various investigative activities within schools. Of the surveyed SROs, 54.4% conducted searches, such as locker inspections or pat downs of students, 54.6% interviewed students regarding safety issues without a parent or guardian present, and 58.7% interviewed students in the presence of a parent or guardian.
Data says domestic violence incidents are down, but half of all victims don’t report to police
About half of all domestic violence incidents are reported to law enforcement, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, a sub-agency of the Department of Justice. Domestic violence is a broad term that includes violent acts perpetrated by family members or intimate partners. Intimate partner violence is a subset of domestic violence. It’s defined as abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship. Intimate partner violence includes physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, as well as economic coercion, according to the National Center for Victims of Crime. The rate of domestic violence committed by an intimate partner or family member was 4.2 victimizations per 1,000 people in 2019, decreasing from 4.8 per 1,000 people in 2018. From 2010 to 2019, the average victimization rate was 4.4 per 1,000 people.
What is naloxone and how is it used in the US?
In 2022, opioids were responsible for 81,607 overdose deaths in the US — up from 46,802 in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the same period, deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids rose from 31,335 to 73,654.
How is crime measured in the US?
Is crime in the US increasing or decreasing? It’s a question that the Department of Justice tries to answer using two primary sources: victim surveys and administrative data from law enforcement agencies.The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey captures information directly from victims, while the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program collects data from law enforcement agencies. These data sources, which account for crimes that are reported to the police as well as those that aren’t, together provide a more comprehensive understanding of crime in the US.In 2021, however, with only 64% of the US population covered by law enforcement agency participation, the FBI relied on crime estimates to compensate for the missing data.Local and state agencies are not required by federal law to submit crime data to the FBI, making their participation voluntary.
How have property crime rates changed over time?
In 2024, the national property crime rate fell to its lowest level since 1976 — the earliest year of available data — to a rate of 1,760.1 property crimes per 100,000 people. It was also the largest single year decline: the property crime rate fell 9.0% in from 2023 to 2024. What is property crime?The National Institute of Justice defines property crime as the theft or destruction of property without threats or injuries to the owner. In tracking national crime rates, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) distinguishes property crime from violent crime. The FBI’s property crime rate data includes: Burglary Larceny-theft Motor vehicle theft Although arson is also classified as a property crime and total arson offenses are available, the numbers are too small to reliably calculate crime rates, so the FBI does not publish arson rates.
What’s behind all these cases of unruly aircraft passengers?
On January 2, 2021, a man aboard a Southwest Airlines flight bound for Kansas City, Missouri, from Orlando, Florida, was detained by law enforcement for allegedly assaulting fellow passengers. According to the report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), he became violent “because someone in his row would not change seats to accommodate his travel partner.” The FAA fined him $32,500.The next day, on a Frontier Airlines flight that had just landed in New York City, a passenger allegedly attempted to gain entry to the flight deck while deplaning, assaulting two flight attendants and threatening to kill one of them. The captain called for law enforcement to meet the man upon exiting the plane. He was fined $30,000.Reports of air-rage and disruptive behavior such as these on US airlines hit an all-time high in 2021, according to the FAA. On January 13, 2021, the FAA implemented its “zero tolerance” policy.That year, the FAA received 5,973 reports of unruly passengers from airlines. That was up 492% from the 1,009 reports in 2020. But that spike didn’t just reflect a rebound from an unusually slow 2020 due to COVID-19. In 2019, there were 1,161 incidents. There were 899 in 2018 and 544 in 2017.
Right to carry gun laws: Explained
The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution provides the right to bear arms, but gun owners must still abide by laws regulating that right. State laws can cover whether — and how — a person may carry their firearms in public, whether they may bring their guns across state lines, and the conditions under which their firearms may be confiscated by law enforcement due to public safety concerns. Prospective gun owners may also be affected by regulations regarding the newer category of “ghost guns.”
How many rape kits are awaiting testing in the US? See the data by state.
In 2022, at least 25,000 untested rape kits sat in law enforcement agencies and crime labs across the country. This figure only accounts for data reported by 30 states and Washington, DC; the total backlog number is unknown.Untested rape kits can have significant consequences for both the criminal justice system and sexual assault survivors. Not only can rape kit testing provide crucial evidence that helps identify perpetrators and bring them to justice, it also can connect perpetrators to other assaults. Failing to test kits in a timely manner can mean missed opportunities to identify serial offenders and prevent further victimization.The failure to submit rape kits for lab testing in numerous jurisdictions has decreased community trust in law enforcement. Survivors from Houston in 2020 to Memphis in 2023 have filed class action lawsuits against city officials for their rape kit backlogs, asserting that timely testing of rape kits could have prevented their own or others’ sexual assaults.
Where are crime victimization rates higher: urban or rural areas?
In 2021, crime victimization rates were higher in urban than rural areas. In urban settings, 24.5 out of 1,000 people aged 12 or older reported being the victims of violent crimes, and 157.5 reported being the victims of property crimes. In rural settings, those figures were 11.1 and 57.7, respectively.