SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie M. Dumanis joined San Diego County law enforcement leaders on Thursday, Feb. 19, to announce the results of a detailed 20-year study of officer-involved shootings in San Diego County dating from 1993 through 2012. An officer-involved shooting is when a peace officer shoots someone in the line of duty. The in-depth analysis is believed to be the most comprehensive report on officer shootings in San Diego history and among one of the few in the nation. The report was commissioned and prepared by the District Attorney’s Office with the goal of transparency, a better understanding of the dynamics of officer-involved shootings, and a potential reduction in the number of such incidents.
Officer-involved shootings are among the most thoroughly reviewed incidents in law enforcement. The District Attorney’s Office has conducted reviews of all officer-involved shootings in the line of duty by San Diego County and state peace officers since the mid 1970’s.
“The District Attorney’s Office takes our role in reviewing every officer-involved shooting that occurs in the county very seriously.” said DA Dumanis. “It’s our hope that by drilling down on the data we’ve collected over two decades, the findings in this report may lead to increased safety for both peace officers and the public.”
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Keeping up with Jewish public officials:
Bonnie Dumanis, Shelley Zimmerman
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Using data from each in-depth case investigation and data from police departments, a wide variety of factors were analyzed including the race and gender of the subjects shot, the month, time and day shootings occurred and the average age of the subject and of the officers shooting. It took nearly a year to compile the data and complete the report.
Findings include the following:
| Factors Analyzed | Results |
| Total Subjects Shot 1993-2012 | 367 |
| Percentage of Fatal Shootings | 57 % |
| Average Shootings Per Year | 18 |
| Most Frequent Day Shootings Occurred | Saturday |
| Most Frequent Type of Encounter Prior to Shootings | Traffic Stops |
| Percentage of Subjects on Illegal Drugs | 66 % |
| Percentage of ‘suicide by cop’ | 19% |
| Most-likely location | Alley/Street |
Below is demographic information on the subjects shot over the last 20 years.
Not surprisingly, the two agencies with the largest number of peace officers and the largest areas to patrol — San Diego Police Department and San Diego Sheriff’s Department — were also the agencies that had the most officer-involved shootings.
“No police officer wants to be involved in a shooting, but when it does happen, the impacts to everyone involved last forever,” said San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman. “This study is valuable in providing law enforcement an opportunity to help analyze the intricate dynamics involved in an officer-involved shooting.”
The report shows the variety of situations peace officers are faced with every day.
“San Diego Sheriff’s Deputies are frequently faced with split-second decisions under the most difficult of circumstances and these decisions have a lifetime of consequence for everyone involved,” said Sheriff Bill Gore. “This study confirms the two most dangerous calls any law enforcement officer must respond to, and compounding this further are the illegal drugs almost always involved. We welcome this study as an opportunity to better understand and further evaluate the complex factors associated with officer-involved shootings; always with the goal of using this information to keep our communities and law enforcement officers safer.”
The president of the San Diego Police Chiefs’ & Sheriff’s Association welcomed the report.
“I applaud the efforts of the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and District Attorney Dumanis in presenting information regarding officer involved shootings in San Diego County to the public,” said Craig Carter, Chief of the Escondido Police Department and President of the Police Chiefs’ and Sheriff’s Association. “The use of deadly force is likely to be the most serious event an officer will ever be involved in during his or her career. San Diego County law enforcement welcomes the opportunity to provide transparency and accountability to the public we serve.”
The report shows that while domestic disturbance calls are the second most-likely type of police call to result in an officer-involved shooting, traffic stops account for the primary type of encounter. The analysis also shows that most subjects were shot in an alley or street location, not inside a home or building. The most common time frame officer-involved shootings occur is between 5 p.m. and 3 a.m.
“For each incident, we collected 30 different pieces of information in order to identify trends that could be used for training, education and prevention of future incidents,” said DA Crime Analyst Julie Wartell.
Among other large cities, officer-involved shooting statistics vary widely. In Dallas, there were 58 officer-involved shootings in 2012 and 39 in 2011. Phoenix had 18 shootings in 2012 and 20 in 2011.
When officer-involved shootings occur, the law enforcement agency that employs the peace officer conducts an internal investigation which includes a review of whether or not that agency’s policies and procedures were followed or whether additional training needs to be addressed. A criminal investigation is also completed by the homicide unit.
The role of the District Attorney’s Office is to provide an independent review of all shootings and other use of deadly force, fatal and non-fatal, to determine if there is criminal liability. This review does not examine such issues as compliance with the policies and procedures of any law enforcement agency, ways to improve training, or any issues related to civil liability.
Upon completion of the DA’s review, where there is a determination that the use of deadly force was justified, a letter summarizing the evidence, including statements of the Sheriff’s deputy or police officer and other witnesses, is written and delivered to the respective police chief or Sheriff.
In addition, the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board in San Diego County is authorized to investigate any death that occurs in the custody of, or in connection with, actions of deputies and probation officers. The Review Board was established to receive and investigate complaints of misconduct concerning peace officers performing their duties while employed by the Sheriff’s Department or the Probation Department. The Review Board is made up of 11 citizens who are appointed by the Board of Supervisors. The City of San Diego has a similar review board called the Citizens’ Review Board on Police Practices. In all, there are four reviews of the shooting incident – two by the employing law enforcement agency, one by the District Attorney’s Office and one by a citizens review board.
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Preceding provided by District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis