Dark Mode
US Police Fatal Shootings Data
Government & Civic Records
Tags and Keywords
Trusted By
"No reviews yet"
Free
About
This dataset documents every fatal shooting in the United States by a police officer in the line of duty since 1st January 2015. Compiled by The Washington Post, it aims to provide a more accurate and detailed account of such incidents than official government records, which have historically been incomplete. The collection of this data began in response to increased public focus on police accountability and movements such as Black Lives Matter, sparked by events like the 2014 killing of Michael Brown. The dataset specifically focuses on shootings where a police officer, while on duty, shot and killed a civilian, excluding deaths in police custody, shootings by off-duty officers, or non-shooting fatalities.
Columns
The dataset includes various features describing each fatal shooting incident. Key columns available provide information on:
- Race of the deceased
- Circumstances of the shooting
- Whether the person was armed
- Whether the victim was experiencing a mental-health crisis
- Additional details are also collected, including information about the officers involved in each shooting.
Distribution
The dataset is primarily available as a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file. The current version, Version 1, has a file size of approximately 505.75 KB. Specific numbers for rows or records are not detailed in the provided information, but the dataset is described as capturing every fatal shooting meeting its criteria since 2015.
Usage
This dataset is ideally suited for research, analysis, and journalistic purposes aimed at understanding patterns and trends in fatal police shootings across the United States. It can be used to investigate:
- The context and contributing factors of such incidents.
- Racial disparities in police shootings.
- The prevalence of mental health crises in victims.
- The effectiveness of police accountability measures. It is valuable for academics, journalists, policy analysts, and advocacy groups.
Coverage
The dataset's geographic scope is the entire United States. It covers incidents from 1st January 2015 onwards, with additional details being gathered from 2016. Demographic information includes the race of the deceased and whether they were experiencing a mental health crisis. It is important to note that the dataset exclusively tracks fatal shootings by on-duty police officers and does not include other forms of police-related deaths or incidents involving off-duty officers. The Washington Post's documentation has revealed significantly higher numbers of fatal shootings than recorded by official bodies like the FBI and CDC, highlighting its importance for a fuller understanding.
License
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Who Can Use It
This dataset is intended for users who wish to engage in NonCommercial activities. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Academics and Researchers: For studies on public safety, criminology, racial equity, and policing.
- Journalists: For investigative reporting and data-driven storytelling on police accountability.
- Advocacy Groups and Non-Profits: For informing policy discussions and public awareness campaigns related to civil rights and police reform.
- Students: For educational projects and assignments exploring social justice issues. Users can reproduce and share the material, and even produce adapted material, provided it is for non-commercial purposes only and adheres to the Attribution and ShareAlike conditions of the Creative Commons license.
Dataset Name Suggestions
- US Police Fatal Shootings Data
- Washington Post Police Shootings Archive
- US Law Enforcement Fatalities (2015-Onwards)
- Police Accountability: US Fatal Shootings Dataset
Attributes
Original Data Source: US Police Fatal Shootings Data
QUALITY