BJS: Bureau of Justice Statistics
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What is the most common type of force used by police? During 2008, about 574,000 persons age 16 or older had force used or threatened against them during their most recent contact with police. Survey respondents who said they experienced the use or threat of force by police in 2008 were asked to describe the incident. Some respondents reported that more than one type of force was used by police. Among respondents who had force used or threatened against them, an estimated 76.6% reported that police threatened to use force during the incident. An estimated 75.5% of police-use-of-force incidents involved the officer or officers shouting at the respondent. About half (53.5%) of the police-use-of-force cases involved the respondent being pushed or grabbed by police. About 1 out of 4 (25.6%) respondents who reported that force was used or threatened during the contact said police pointed a gun at them. |