Officer Use-of-Force Sends Thousands to Emergency Room Every Year
Using San Jose as an example, an analysis of use-of-force incidents reveals a large problem that often goes unreported.
Landwebs
Although there is almost no data on the nature or circumstances of their injuries, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that since 2015, more than 400,000 people have been treated in emergency rooms because of a violent interaction with police or security guards, reports NBC News. When police do use force, more than half of the incidents ended with a suspect or civilian getting hurt, according to a 2020 analysis, but it is unclear how serious those injuries are. San Jose, which requires officers to report injuries and encourages them to bring wounded suspects to the hospital, offers a glimpse of the scale of the issue, with roughly 1,300 people ending up in the emergency room after interacting with city police from 2017 to 2020, according to an analysis of the data. “Control holds,” twisting arms or holding people down, played a role in 60 percent of the cases.
Almost 20 percent of people who went to the emergency room were shot with stun guns, and 10 percent were hit with an “impact weapon” such as a baton. In those four years, city data show, encounters with San Jose police left 72 people “seriously injured,” which includes broken bones, dog bites and internal injuries. Nine more people died from gunshot wounds. Rough arrests have cost the city more than $26 million in lawsuit payouts for civil rights violations since 2010. 43 percent of use of force incidents in San Jose end with a trip to the hospital, among the highest of the nine cities tracked for the analysis. Some police departments may have a low percentage of emergency-room visits because they have loose reporting requirements and don’t make officers seek medical treatment for people who are hurt.
