Policing
Documenting Police Use of Force
FRONTLINE and The Associated Press investigate deaths that occurred after police used tactics like prone restraint and other “less-lethal force.”
April 30, 2024
Lethal Restraint
The Associated Press and FRONTLINE investigated police use of force across the United States.
March 28, 2024
For several decades, FRONTLINE has been chronicling policing in America and examining various aspects of police reform and accountability. Watch and explore documentaries, in-depth reporting and interactives.
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All Stories in Policing
Article
Accident or Homicide? Medical Rulings in Arrest-Related Deaths Can Dictate What Happens to Police
Police in the United States rarely face criminal charges when civilians die after the use of force such as physical blows, restraints or Tasers.
December 18, 2024
Article
How Tucson Police Handled a Death Like George Floyd’s When Leaders Thought It Would Never Happen
Like many American cities, in June 2020 Tucson was struggling with the murder of George Floyd. What protesters didn’t know was that their city had two undisclosed deaths of Latino men who — like Floyd — said they could not…
October 8, 2024
Article
A Series of Deaths and the ‘Big Fight’: Uncovering Police Force in One Midwestern City
Police leaders called the training “routine” when one recruit died and another was badly injured at their academy.
October 8, 2024
Article
Policing Group Says Officers Must Change How and When They Use Physical Force on U.S. Streets
An influential group of law enforcement leaders is pushing police departments across the U.S. to change how officers use force when they subdue people and to improve training so they avoid “consistent blind spots” that have contributed to civilian deaths.
September 24, 2024
Article
Tennessee Family’s Lawsuit Says Video Long Kept From Them Shows Police Force, Not Drugs, Killed Son
A mother whose son was having a seizure in his Tennessee apartment said in a federal lawsuit that police and paramedics subjected the 23-year-old to “inhumane acts of violence” instead of treating him, then covered up their use of deadly…
August 16, 2024
Announcement
“Documenting Police Use of Force” Discussion Event at WNYC’s The Greene Space
May 24, 2024
Announcement
National Press Club Screening and Panel Discussion Featuring “Documenting Police Use of Force”
May 23, 2024
Article
Families of Uvalde Shooting Victims Sue Texas DPS Officers for Waiting To Confront Gunman
In a separate settlement, the city of Uvalde will pay $2 million to the families, create a permanent memorial to the victims and provide enhanced training for police officers.
May 22, 2024
Article
Risks of Handcuffing Someone Facedown Long Known; People Die When Police Training Fails To Keep Up
Police in the U.S. have been warned for decades that the common tactic of handcuffing someone facedown could turn deadly if officers pin them on the ground with too much pressure or for too long. What some officers are doing…
May 14, 2024
Article
In Hundreds of Deadly Police Encounters, Officers Broke Multiple Safety Guidelines
In hundreds of deaths where police used force meant to stop someone without killing them, officers violated well-known guidelines for safely restraining and subduing people multiple times, an Associated Press investigation found.
May 14, 2024
Podcast
Inside the Investigation into Police Use of Force
A new investigation reveals that over nearly a decade, more than 1,000 people died following encounters where police employed tactics known as "less-lethal force."
May 9, 2024
Article
‘Documenting Police Use of Force’ Filmmakers & Reporters on Navigating Obstacles in Their Reporting
The filmmakers of “Documenting Police Use of Force” spoke about how they created a visual narrative that traces why and how people die in the wake of police using what is known as “less-lethal force.”
April 30, 2024
Article
One Day After Elijah McClain, Another Young Man Was Sedated While Restrained by Police
The day after Elijah McClain’s ultimately fatal encounter with law enforcement and paramedics, another young man — 24-year-old Taylor Ware — was forcibly sedated and later died. Ware’s story unfolds in the documentary, ‘Documenting Police Use of Force.’
April 30, 2024
Article
Dozens of Deaths Reveal Risks of Injecting Sedatives Into People Restrained by Police
The practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the nation over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found.
April 26, 2024
Article
For Years She Thought Her Son Had Died of an Overdose. The Police Video Changed All That.
For six years, Karen Goodwin believed her son died of an overdose. But after she finally saw the police body-camera footage, her memories now conflict with stark images of restraint and force.
March 29, 2024
Article
He Didn’t Trust Police but Sought Their Help Anyway. Two Days Later, He Was Dead.
Jameek Lowery, a 27-year-old Black man, was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
March 29, 2024
Article
A Mom Called 911 To Get Her Son Mental Health Help. He Died After Police Responded With Force
When a 24-year-old former Marine experienced a manic episode at a southern Indiana rest stop, his mother called 911 for help getting him mental health treatment.
March 28, 2024
Documentary
Documenting Police Use of Force
FRONTLINE and The Associated Press investigate deaths that occurred after police used tactics like prone restraint and other “less-lethal force.”
April 30, 2024
Lethal Restraint
The Associated Press and FRONTLINE investigated police use of force across the United States.
March 28, 2024
Policies
Teacher Center
Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation
Koo and Patricia Yuen
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Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; Park Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. Web Site Copyright ©1995-2025 WGBH Educational Foundation. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
