The number of police uses of lethal force is on the decline according to a new report from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Researchers with the school’s Cline Center for Advanced Social Research compiled data to track and identify the use of lethal force by officers throughout the country. They found that from 2021 to 2023 the number of such incidents fell by 24 percent nationally. The drop was about the same in Illinois.

The report includes any incident in which police used a firearm, including those with nonfatal outcomes, as well as any other use of force that resulted in a death. But it doesn’t draw conclusions as to why the decrease is occurring.

“Police uses of lethal force have decreased dramatically since 2021,” Althaus said. “We don’t know why we’re seeing this

See Full Page