Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2003 Jul;93(7):1117-21.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.93.7.1117.

Underreporting of justifiable homicides committed by police officers in the United States, 1976-1998

Colin Loftin  1 , Brian Wiersema, David McDowall, Adam Dobrin
Affiliations

Underreporting of justifiable homicides committed by police officers in the United States, 1976-1998

Colin Loftin et al. Am J Public Health. 2003 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives: This study assessed the consistency of estimates of the number of justifiable homicides committed by US police officers and identified sources of underreporting.

Methods: The number of justifiable homicides committed by police officers between 1976 and 1998 was estimated from supplementary homicide report (SHR) and National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) mortality data.

Results: Nationally, the SHR estimate was 29% larger than the NVSS estimate. However, in most states this pattern was reversed, with more deaths reported in the NVSS.

Conclusions: Both systems underreport, but for different reasons. The NVSS misclassifies cases as homicides, rather than justifiable homicides committed by police officers, because certifiers fail to mention police involvement. The SHR misses cases because some jurisdictions fail to file reports or omit justifiable homicides committed by police officers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Annual numbers of justifiable homicides committed by police officers: United States, 1976–1998. Note. SHR = supplementary homicide report; NVSS = National Vital Statistics System.
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
Justifiable homicides committed by police officers, by state: United States, 1976–1998.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Geller WA, Scott M. Deadly Force: What We Know. A Practitioner’s Desk Reference on Police-Involved Shootings. Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum; 1992.
    1. Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. Washington, DC: National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders; 1968.
    1. Evans CA Jr. Public health impact of the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest. Public Health Rep. 1993;108:265–272. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Golden RE, Baranov MS. The impact of the April 1992 civil unrest on the Los Angeles REI WIC program and its participants. Public Health Rep. 1994;109:606–614. - PMC - PubMed
    1. DiPasquale D, Glaeser EL. The Los Angeles riot and the economics of urban unrest. J Urban Economics. 1998;43:52–78.

LinkOut - more resources