Statistics
2017
To date there have been 2 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 1 civilian killed and 1 wounded. No officers have been true-billed. Statistics for each agency are as follows:
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY HCSO To date there have been 39 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 14 civilians killed and 25 wounded. No officers have been true-billed. Statistics for each agency are as follows:
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY Houston PD HCSO Baytown PD Pct. 3 Pct. 4 Pct. 5 Pct. 6 Alvin PD DPS/Jefferson SOH PD Pasadena
2015
To date there has been 48 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 18 civilians killed and 30 wounded. None of the officers has yet been true-billed. Statistics for each agency are as follows:
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY Houston PD HCSO Pasadena PD Baytown PD Tomball PD Humble PD U.S. Marshal and TDCJ
2014
In 2014 there were 45 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 20 civilians killed and 25 wounded. None of the officers has yet been true-billed. Statistics for each agency are as follows:
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY Houston PD HCSO Pct. 1 Pct. 4 Hedwig Village PD Pasadena PD Baytown PD University of Texas PD Tomball PD DPS, U.S. Marshal and TDCJ Aldine ISD PD 2013
In 2013, there were 21 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 9 civilians killed and 12 wounded. None of the officers has yet been true-billed. Statistics for each agency are as follows:
2012
In 2012, there were 55 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 25 civilians killed and 30 wounded, including a 14-year-old boy and at least 3 that were mentally ill. None of the officers has yet been true-billed. Statistics for each agency are as follows:
Houston PD Harris County Sheriff's Office Metro PD Pasadena ISD Pct 3 Pct 5 Baytown PD TDPS U.S. Customs & Border Protection Service 7/30/12 - Shootings by HPD on the upswing - Houston Chronicle
2011
Houston PD Harris County Sheriff's Office Humble PD Metro PD Pasadena PD South Houston PD Webster PD 11/28/11 - National data on shootings by police not collected - Las Vegas Review-Journal
05/23/11 - Houston cops stop Blacks more than others - The Louisiana Weekly
05/16/11 - FBI: 56 police officers killed in 2010, up by 8 - KHOU
2010
In 2010 there were 54 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 14 civilians killed and 40 wounded. Statistics for each agency are as follows:
Law Enforcement Agency Houston PD HCSO Pasadena PD Baytown PD Precinct 5 South Houston PD Reported cases of police brutality - Data for 2000 - 2011. IAD Complaints - KTRK
03/19/2010 - Police Shooting Death Statistics Under Debate: MyFoxHOUSTON.com
This is the 2010 National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project (NPMSRP) Police Misconduct Statistical Report. This report is the result of data captured from January 2010 through December 2010 by the NPMSRP consisting of reports that meet credibility criteria which have been gathered from multiple media sources for Houston, Harris County, Texas.
2010 Harris County Police Misconduct Statistical Report
State City
Type
Status
Description
TX
Harris County Drugs
Charged
Harris County TX deputy arrested after caught with 2 kilos of cocaine in sting targeting fake cops robbing dealers [0] http://is.gd/iP5J8
TX
Harris County EF F
Allegation
2 Harris Co TX off-duty undercover cops accused of not IDing selves before shooting 3 who fled when cops displayed guns: http://is.gd/7gjlb
TX
Harris County Color of Law
Charged
Harris County TX deputy arrested for selling confidential criminal background info from law enforcement databases: http://is.gd/9624l
TX
Harris County Color of Law
Charged
Harris County TX deputy indicted on fed bribery charges for accepting cash for access to police DB & protect dealer [0] http://is.gd/glce8
TX
Harris County Sex Minor
Charged
Harris Co TX deputy already facing charges for sex w/inmate now charged w/2 counts aggravated sexual assault of a child: http://is.gd/d9frG
TX
Harris County Civil Rights
Disciplinary
2 Harris Co TX deputy constables suspended & 1 demoted for mishandling incident involving special-needs teen [0] http://is.gd/gdEkG
TX
Harris County Unspecified
Fired
Harris County TX police major in charge of internal affairs is fired after investigation into undisclosed violations: http://is.gd/bhYob
TX
Harris County Assault
Investigation
Harris County TX deputy accused of shooting her Houston police officer husband during domestic dispute, no charges yet: http://is.gd/anxeE
TX
Harris County Auto
Investigation
Harris County TX deputy constable investigated on allegations he left scene of deadly accident involving car he chased: http://is.gd/cLFRy
TX
Harris County Color of Law
Investigation
Houston & Harris Co TX cops allegedly caught on tape threatening to find reasons to arrest cabbie who called for help [3] http://is.gd/iLChe
TX
Harris County Sexual Harass
Judgment
Harris County TX to pay $505k to a female deputy constable who won a lawsuit for being subjected to sexual harassment [1] http://is.gd/fsL4d
TX
Harris County Accountability
Lawsuit
Harris Co TX sheriff sued by 2 ex-cops to release records showing others weren't fired for same things in bid for rehire: http://is.gd/bXZYW
TX
Harris County
Accountability
Resignation
Harris County TX sheriff's major retired after accused of pushing for hire of man who failed 3 polygraph exams [1] http://is.gd/gaIQq
TX
Harris County Bias
Settlement
Harris Co TX pays $400k to deputy demoted for beard http://is.gd/c4HF2 but only $167k for dead woman denied care in jail http://is.gd/c4HF4
TX
Harris County General
Settlement
Harris Co TX pays $400k to deputy demoted for beard http://is.gd/c4HF2 but only $167k for dead woman denied care in jail http://is.gd/c4HF4
2009
In 2009 there were 64 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 27 civilians killed and 37 wounded. Statistics for each agency are as follows:
Law Enforcement Agency Houston PD HCSO Pasadena PD Pct. 3 Pct. 4 Pct. 5 Pct. 6 Pct. 7 Hedwig Village PD Humble PD Metro PD Webster PD South Houston PD TABC U.S. Customs
This is the 2009 National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project (NPMSRP) Police Misconduct Statistical Report. This report is the result of data captured from January 2009 through December 2009 by the NPMSRP consisting of reports that meet credibility criteria which have been gathered from multiple media sources for Houston, Harris County, Texas.
2009 Harris County Police Misconduct Statistical Report
State Agency Type Status TX
Houston
Assault
Investigation
TX
Houston
Brutality
Allegation
TX
Houston
Brutality
Allegation
TX
Houston
Brutality
Lawsuit
TX
Houston
Color of Law
Allegation
TX
Houston
Perjury
Investigation
TX
Houston
Sex
Disciplinary
TX
Houston
Shooting
Allegation
TX
Houston
Shooting
Lawsuit
TX
Houston
Theft
Charged
TX
Houston
Unspecified
Investigation
TX
Houston
Wrong Arrest
Judgment
TX
Houston
Wrong Arrest
Lawsuit
Houston TX police and Ft Bend Co TX deputies sued by 3 men wrongfully jailed when picked out of lineups by scent dogs: http://is.gd/4MCDK
Arrest-Related Deaths Program Report - Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
More than Half of Arrest-Related Deaths are Homicides by Law Enforcement: Report
The country saw a reported 4,813 arrest-related deaths between 2003 and 2009, according to new data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm (BJS).
Over 60 percent of all the deaths were classified as homicides committed by law enforcement personnel, BJS found.
About 98 million arrests took place in the U.S. during those years. While men accounted for about 76 percent of all arrests, they made up 95 percent of the deaths.
The study is part of a long-term project by BJS called the Arrest-Related Deaths program, which released its first report http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=379 in 2007.
Read the full report here http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/ard0309st.pdf.
2008
In 2008 there were 36 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 16 civilians killed and 20 wounded, including two women and a 13-year-old boy, shot in the back. One of those killed is alleged to be a CIA agent. None of the officers has yet been true-billed. Statistics for each agency are as follows:
Law Enforcement Agency Houston PD Sheriff's deputies Pct. 6 constable's deputy Jersey Village PD Pasadena PD officers Bellaire PD officer Tomball PD officer U.S. Marshal 04/25/08 - Are police recording crime stats correctly? - KTRK/Eyewitness News
2007
In 2007 there were 32 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 12 civilians killed and 20 wounded, including two boys ages, 14 and 16. Four of those killed and one of the wounded were mentally ill. All of the officers were no-billed. Statistics for each agency are as follows:
Law Enforcement Agency Houston PD Sheriff's deputies Pct. 1 constable's deputy West University PD officer Pct. 3 constable's deputy Pct. 4 constable's deputy Pct. 5 constable's deputy Pct. 7 constable's deputy Texas DPS trooper U.S. Marshal 12/28/07 - Just How Dangerous Is Police Work?
12/27/07 - Officers killed in 2007 - Houston Chronicle
10/12/07 - Study of police killings cannot account for all/Government says officers to blame for half of deaths of those in custody - Houston Chronicle
2006
In 2006 there were 37 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 13 civilians killed and 24 wounded. Three teenagers (14, 15 and 16) were wounded, and a 26-yr. old woman was killed after she stole some beer. All of the officers were no-billed. Statistics for each agency are as follows:
Law Enforcement Agency Houston PD Sheriff's deputies Jacinto City PD officer Baytown PD officer Pasadena PD officers Drug Task Force officers Tomball PD 10/29/07 - Officers killed in 2006 - FBI press release
2005
In 2005 there were 32 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 20 civilians killed and 14 wounded; 4 of those killed were unarmed, including a 15-year old boy shot in the back, and at least one was known to be mentally ill. One police officer was killed by another officer. All of the officers were no-billed.
Officers killed in 2005 - FBI press release
2004
In 2004 there were 22 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 10 civilians killed and 12 wounded. At least 2 were minors, and at least two were mentally ill. All of the officers were no-billed.
2003
In 2003 there were 37 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 16 civilians killed, including two 14- and 15-yr-old boys, and 21 wounded. At least 21 were unarmed, and 7 were mentally ill. One officer was convicted of homicide (11/21/03) and sentenced to 6 months in jail and 5 yrs probation. Another was tried and found not guilty of murder (12/15/03). All other officers were no-billed.
2002
In 2002 there were 33 officer-involved shootings, resulting in 18 civilians killed and 19 wounded, including 2 minors. 17 were unarmed, and 4 were known or suspected to be mentally ill. All of the officers were no-billed.
Causes of Civilians Deaths - By Agency
Harris County, Texas 1997 - 2001
Known data as reported by local media
Agency |
Shot |
Beaten |
Car
Chase |
In
custody* |
Other** |
Total |
Baytown PD |
4 |
4 |
||||
Hedwig Village PD |
1 |
1 |
||||
Houston PD |
40 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
56 |
|
Humble PD |
1 |
1 |
||||
LaPorte PD |
1 |
1 |
||||
Pasadena PD |
5 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
||
Tomball PD |
1 |
1 |
||||
Constables |
4 |
1 |
5 |
|||
Sheriff’s Deputies |
6 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
16 |
BATF |
1 |
1 |
||||
Houston DEA |
1 |
1 |
||||
DPS |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|||
Security Guards |
13 |
1 |
14 |
|||
|
79 |
1 |
8 |
11 |
13 |
112
|
| Race: | Gender: |
||
|
13 |
|
98 |
White |
15 |
|
14 |
Hispanic |
37 |
||
Other |
3 |
||
Unknown |
44 |
||
| Average age: | 34 |
||
Youngest Victim |
11
mos |
||
Oldest victim |
82
y/o |
||
*Alleged suicides: |
5 |
||
Pedestrians hit by patrol cars: |
3 |
||
Head trauma: |
1 |
||
Pneumonia: |
1 |
||
Unknown: |
1 |
| **Collisions: | 4 |
Heart attacks: |
3 |
Quit breathing: |
1 |
Drowning: |
1 |
Hit by civilian vehicles: |
2 |
Unknown: |
2 |
There were at least 130 deaths at the hands of various law enforcement agencies in Harris County, Texas, from January 1995 through April 2002. This includes deaths in custody, car crashes, jailhouse and other "suicides," etc. The Houston Police Department reportedly shot and killed 54 "suspects" in the past 5 years; the total number killed nearly triples when ALL deaths are considered.
According to data compiled by the Washington Post concerning shootings by the nation’s 50 largest police departments, from 1990 to 2000 the Harris County Sheriff’s Department ranked first in the nation in the number of fatal shootings, with 3.47 fatalities per 1,000 violent crimes; the Houston Police Department ranked second, with 2.76 fatal shootings per 1,000 violent crimes.
Houston Chronicle 11/04/2001
The Detroit Free Press calculated fatal shootings on the basis of the FBI's standard measure, 100,000 residents. Detroit had a rate of 0.92 fatal shootings per 100,000 residents, towering over New York's rate of 0.39 and Los Angeles' 0.56.
Houston ranked second in the nation with 0.68.
May 15, 2000 — By: David Ashenfelter and Joe Swickard
Detroit Free Press, Staff Writers
OCCUPATIONS MORE DANGEROUS THAN BEING A POLICE OFFICER:
Number of deaths per 100,000 employed Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics-Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries - 2008
Fishermen: 112.0
Logging workers: 87.0
Aircraft pilots: 67.0
Iron and steelworkers: 45.0
Farmers and ranchers: 38.0
Garbage collectors: 36.8
Roofers: 34.4
Electrical power line installation/repair: 29.8
Truck drivers: 22.8
Oil and gas extraction: 21.9
Police officers and Deputies: 21.4*
Taxi drivers: 19.3
Drinking establishment employees: 17.0
Construction workers: 16.0
Grounds maintenance: 11.9
Welders: 10.5
Electricians: 8.3
Gas station attendant: 7.5
Firefighters: 6.9
Auto mechanics: 5.0
Newspaper publishers: 4.8
Carpenters: 4.7
Janitors: 3.1
Retail sales: 1.5
* A high percentage of police officers deaths involve traffic accidents and not wearing a "seat belt."
FBI
In many cases of police brutality that the FBI investigates, only a small fraction ever receive indictments, and even fewer result in a conviction. In 1996, the FBI reviewed 10,129 civil rights cases, and only 0.2% were filed for prosecution. The prosecution rate for police abuse cases is less than 1% of those investigated. So even if a complaint makes it to the FBI, it is very unlikely to lead to a conviction. This is a classic scenario of 'the wolf guarding the fox that's guarding the hen house.'
Is it dangerous to be a cop? FBI reports show that in 2000, 51 police officers were killed in the United States. Out of the hundreds of thousands of law enforcement personnel, this means less than 1/10 of 1% are at risk, thereby making law enforcement personnel one of the safest class of citizens in the United States. On the other hand, nearly one in two civilian women in the United States has either been raped, assaulted, or beaten during domestic violence during their lives. Court records show police officers are four (4) times more likely to commit acts of domestic violence, than any other group -- however, they rarely are arrested because their friends respond to the scene of the crime.
According to the Department of Labor, the on-the-job fatality rate for police is lower than that for gardeners, electricians, truck drivers, garbage collectors, construction workers, airline pilots, timber cutters, and commercial fisherman. In fact, fishermen have an occupational fatality rate that is fifteen times higher than that for cops, but rarely do we hear those who provide us with an endless supply of mahi-mahi described as heroes. (See Selling the Police: Reflections on Heroism and Hype in America,Tim Wise; http://zmag.org)
DEATHS WHILE IN CUSTODY
An excerpt from HR 1659, a bill introduced in Congress by Jose Serrano in 1999.
The Collection of Data on Deaths While In Custody
An estimated 1000 men and women die questionable deaths each year while in police custody or in jail. A number of deaths that occur in state and local jails are ruled suicides, but that determination is often tainted by inadequate record-keeping, investigative incompetence, and physical evidence that suggests otherwise. In addition, many of the individuals listed as 'suicides' had been arrested for relatively minor offenses--greatly reducing their incentive to take their own lives. The FY 1998 Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Appropriations Act directed the Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice to determine the feasibility of creating a single source for annual statistics on in-custody deaths--including federal, state and local incidents. The provision directs the Attorney General to develop guidelines for the reporting of deaths in custody and requires that at a minimum, the report include (1) the name of the deceased; (2) the gender of the deceased; (3) the ethnicity of the deceased; (4) the age of the deceased; (5) the date, time and location of the death; and (6) a brief description of the circumstances surrounding the death. The FY 1998 Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Appropriations Act directed the Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice to determine the feasibility of creating a single source for annual statistics on in-custody deaths--including federal, state and local incidents. In March 1998, DOJ reported that this goal is achievable. As H.R. 1659 deals with the issue of police accountability, the committee believes it is appropriate to require that these statistics be reported.
HIGH SPEED PURSUITS
There are 250,000 police pursuits annually nationwide. Each year, about 500 deaths occur in speed pursuits; an average of one death a day during a high speed pursuit. At 100 MPH, the impact of a vehicle crash is comparable to a 30-story drop of a 2,000 pound object. Overall, 57,000 persons are killed or severely injured annually in the United States alone. One in four pursuits result in a crash; the majority of high speed drivers are males 18 to 25 years old; chases have lasted from one minute to several hours; covered a space of 100 yards to 200 miles. Deaths resulting from high speed chase incidents exceed deaths related to police discharge of firearms annually. The highest incidents of high speed chases and fatalities occur in metro Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Houston and Chicago. Los Angeles recorded 7,000 police pursuits; 1,200 injuries to innocent victims; another 980 injuries to police officers in the latest annual statistics. Los Angeles has one deadly pursuit every 4 1/2 hours; resulting in 1,000 deaths and injuries a year. One-third of all high speed chases deaths are innocent bystanders. About 10 percent of high speed chases are begun by felons while the vast majority begin from a simple traffic stop for a minor infraction.
OFFICER-INVOLVED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
A 1994 nationwide survey conducted by the Arlington, TX police department and the Southwestern Law Enforcement Institute of the Southwest Legal Foundation found that 123 police departments (serving populations of over 100,000) 45.3% had no specific policy for dealing with officer-involved domestic violence. And, only 19% of police departments have a policy of terminating police officers who are repeat domestic violence offenders.1 In a more recent study, preliminary results indicate that only four major city police departments have written policies on the handling of police family violence cases.2 According to a study by Chief John Feltgen in Broward County, FL, "with disturbing frequency, domestic violence calls made from the officer's homes dead-ended without a report or real investigation."3
1. "Domestic Violence Among Police: A Survey of Internal Affairs Policies." Prepared by the Arlington, TX Police Department and the Southwestern Law Enforcement Institute, 1995.
2. International Association of Chiefs of Police; Major City Chiefs Committee, Report Forthcoming.
3. A. Levinson, "Abusers Behind a Badge", Arizona Republic. June 29, 1997, F11.
