The Fairfax, Virginia Independent Police Auditor requested a use of force assessment for the police department regarding a disproportionate number of force incidents against minority populations. This request was denied.
For the past several years, the Fairfax County (Virginia) Police Department (FCPD) has compiled data revealing that approximately 40% of FCPD use of force incidents have involved African-American individuals. African-Americans make up approximately 9-10% of the population in Fairfax County. Several groups and individuals have called for a study to try to determine the cause for the disparity, assuming that it is mainly caused by a racial bias within the police department. The county Board of Supervisors has tasked my office with coordinating the solicitation of an outside academic or research entity to examine the relevant data and try to determine the possible cause(s) for the seeming disparity.
Data analysis of UOF incident data compiled by the Fairfax County Police Department to identify whether there are identifiable causes for approximately 40% of all use of force incidents to involve a racial group that makes up approximately 9% of the county's overall population. This trend has repeated itself for several consecutive years.
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