A new report from the DC Office of Police Complaints reveals stark “racial disparities” in police use of force incidents.
- The data asserts that a whopping 94% of people involved in police use of force incidents in 2023 were Black.
- This figure would be up from 90% in 2022.
- In total, Black Americans make up only 44.4% of the population in Washington DC.
By the numbers: The study also unveiled the number of times police deployed physical force to protect the streets of the nation’s capital.
- “Use of force” is defined as activity that includes restraining suspects, the use of batons, police canines, and non-lethal or lethal weapons against offenders.
- According to the study, there were 1,142 total use-of-force incidents in 2023 (an 11% increase from the previous year). A total of 1,017 MPD officers reported having to use force, which amounts to 25% of the entire Metropolitan Police Department.
- 39% of these incidents were classified as “tactical takedowns” of perpetrators. Eight incidents involved police firing their duty weapon, and another four incidents involved the use of police attack dogs.
- Of those four incidents, all police K9’s were killed in action.
Zooming In: National media has already begun to frame the narrative behind these criminal revelations as evidence of systemic racism against the Black community.
- A deeper look into the study reveals Black officers compose 52% of the total police force in the nation’s capital.
- Only 25% of use-of-force incidents involved a suspect assaulting an officer, while 45% of all officers reporting a use-of-force were Black.
- While the rate of violent crime is said to have decreased in Washington, DC, from the previous year, the amount of crime is still reportedly high, with 2023 amounting to a grand total of 273 homicides—a record.
In the headlines: Despite DC, serving as the heart of the American Empire, horrific acts of Black violence and depravity can erupt just a few blocks away from prestigious landmarks.
- In April, a Black ex-convict was arrested for launching a savage anti-White stabbing attack at a DC-area McDonalds. For the crime, police arrested 63-year-old Reginald Pickett, who shouted he “hated White people” while he plunged a knife into his victim’s neck.
- The restaurant-turned-crime scene was located in the 1200 block of New York Avenue, only two blocks away from the White House.
This article originally appeared on the Justice Report and is republished by The Noticer with permission.
Header image: Washington DC police pay tribute to fallen officer Wayne David who was fatally shot in the line of duty in August (MPD)
