Police Abuse Stats

U.S. police misconduct statistics are hard to come by because the government does not regularly collect data. One attempt to track misconduct is the "National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project" which estimates misconduct rates using newspaper reports.[58] This comprehensive data suggest that police are more likely than the average person to commit a number of crimes including assault, sexual assault, and murder, but less likely to commit robbery.[59] The NPMSRP projects that roughly 1 in 4.7 officers will be implicated in an act of misconduct during the course of their career.[60] In the United States, the exclusionary rule means that evidence gathered through misconduct is sometimes inadmissible in court.

The Black Panther Party sought to oppose police brutality through neighborhood patrols. Police officers were often followed by armed Black Panthers who at times came to aid African-Americans who were victims of brutality and racial prejudice. Groups like Copwatch continue to use the patrol method in communities, often using video cameras to document them.[61]

In a 2004 United States survey of the public's view on accountability in reforming police, most members of the public wanted an "early warning system" which flags officers who have received many complaints, video cameras on police cars, detailed records of police stops, and citizen review boards.[62] Citizen review of police has been an "emotion-packed" issue, with law enforcement concerned that citizens reviewing their actions do not understand the procedures which they operate by and the citizen review board advocates arguing that the law enforcement "code of silence" requires that they have input into the disciplinary action. As of 2003, three-fourths of the United States' largest cities had citizen review boards.[63]

Early warning systems are procedures designed to identify and address issues 'problem officers', as around 10% of officers are theorized to cause 90% of the problems. Early warning systems were recommended by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 1981, and by 1999 an estimated 27% of police agencies serving populations of over 50,000 people had implemented these programs. The systems work by collecting data such as complaints, which triggers an intervention at a certain point. After the intervention, the officer is monitored as a follow-up.[8]

It is sometimes argued that civil liability can create new deterrents to police misconduct.[64] Civilian police commissioners and citizen review boards have been cited as institutions that can help reduce police misconduct.[65] There is some variation as to how much access the civilian reviewers are given to internal police documents and personnel files.[66] Decertification of police has been cited as another possible remedy.[67] Surveys suggest that officers are aware of the detrimental impacts of police misconduct and hold strong opinions as to what strategies are preferable.[68] The exclusionary rule has been one classic deterrent to obtaining evidence through police misconduct, but it is proposed that it be replaced with restitution to victims of misconduct.[6