San Diego police officers are using force more often in encounters with residents, even as the city’s crime rate declines, according to data obtained by Times of San Diego.
As use-of-force reports increase, the racial gap has widened over the past three years. SDPD officers are seven times more likely to use force on Black residents than on White residents, and nearly twice as likely to use force on Hispanic residents as on White people.
To analyze trends, Times of San Diego requested all police use‑of‑force reports from 2017 through 2025. During that period, reported use-of-force incidents rose, as did reports of officers facing violent encounters…