CALIFORNIA – California law enforcement officers killed fewer people, fired fewer shots, and used force less often in 2024 than in any year since the state began tracking the data nearly a decade ago, according to an analysis by the San Francisco Chronicle using Department of Justice statistics.
The Chronicle’s review covered data from 2016 to 2024. It found a 13 percent decline in the number of people killed by officers in the past year, down from 134 in 2023. The Department of Justice also reported a 32 percent drop in murders between 2017 and 2020. For the first time since 2016, no California police officer deaths resulted from use-of-force incidents, the DOJ said.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber told the Chronicle, “It’s a calmer California.” During her time in the State Assembly, she sponsored legislation to address racial profiling and reduce deadly encounters. She added, “There’s still so much to do. But I think it indicates in some way that when we make up our mind that we want to bring about change, we can.”…