Long Beach, CA 2024

USE OF FORCE

Use of force occurs when an officer uses or threatens to use their body or an object against a person or in a way that could cause pain, injury, or death.

Data presented in this section reflect use of force incidents recorded by Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) officers. Each law enforcement agency’s policy manual requires that officers record use of force, and defines the behaviors that count as “force” which must be reported. The way the policy defines officers’ obligation to report use of force has an impact on the number of incidents recorded, which provides important context for interpreting these analyses. Departments with more comprehensive reporting requirements may have more recorded incidents than departments with vague or incomplete requirements. For LBPD’s definition of reportable force, see “What counts as force for these analyses?” at the bottom of this page.

USES OF FORCE BY RACIAL GROUP

According to Long Beach Police Department data on use of force incidents recorded between 2019 and 2021:

35% of all people officers used force against were Black, who made up 12% of the population of Long Beach.
38% of all people officers used force against were Latinx, who made up 42% of the population of Long Beach.
17% of all people officers used force against were White, who made up 28% of the population of Long Beach.

CPE recommends that law enforcement agencies explore broad interventions to reduce racial disparities in use of force and decrease incidents of force overall, such as changes to departmental policy and organizational culture.

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What does this show?

Each dark blue bar shows the percentage of the total use of force incidents recorded in the assessment period that were against people in one racial group. The orange bars show the percentage of the resident population that are people of the same racial group. Hovering over the blue bars shows the number of incidents that makes up that percentage.

Departments have varying definitions of force and requirements for when officers must report their use of force, so those with more comprehensive reporting requirements may have more recorded incidents than departments with vague or incomplete requirements. For example, some departments do not require officers to report use of hands-on force unless it results in injury or complaint of injury; others do not require officers to report pointing a weapon if it was not discharged. Departments also use different forms to record data on use of force incidents, and forms that encourage more comprehensive or efficient data collection can provide more useful information for analysis than those that solicit fewer, or less specific, incident details.

Our guidance encourages officers to report every incident in which an officer uses or threatens to use their body, a tool, or a weapon against a person, or in any way that could cause pain, injury or death, regardless of the officer’s motivation or whether any injury or complaint results. For more information on the types of incidents officers were required to report during this assessment timeframe, see “What counts as force for these analyses?” at the bottom of this page.

How was this calculated?

We first took the average total recorded incidents per year and calculated the percentage against people of each racial group. Then we compared those percentages to the percentages of the resident population that are of each racial group. See the Data Notes tab for information on how we define racial groups.

We count a use of force incident as a single incident in which any use of force against a person was recorded, regardless of the number of officers, types of force involved, or number of times force was applied. If more than one person had force used against them at the same time, each person who was subjected to force is counted as a separate incident. Our analyses exclude incidents where the only reported type of force is handcuffing, verbal commands, or de-escalation.

Most of our analyses use all use of force data provided by departments, including incomplete years of data. However, certain analyses require complete years of data, so time periods may vary across charts.

We use local demographic data (from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates) as the most straightforward and complete representation of the local population. The use of Census data also allows us to perform standardized analyses across law enforcement agencies. We recognize that this measure of demographics may not capture the entire population of individuals with whom police interact. However, the analyses on this page can help shed light on the role that local demographics may play in any observed disparities.

Data required for this analysis:

USES OF FORCE BY YEAR

The number of use of force incidents recorded each year with complete data varied from a high of 446 in 2020 to a low of 276 in 2021.

Each law enforcement agency’s policy manual requires that officers record use of force, and defines the behaviors that count as “force” which must be reported. For this reason, the number of incidents recorded each year may fluctuate due to changes in officers’ use of force practices or departments’ reporting policies. Departments should investigate whether variations in use of force may be related to policy changes that govern officers’ use of force or define the types of behavior that count as force which officers are required to report.

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What does this show?

This chart shows the number of use of force incidents recorded during each year of the assessment period for all racial groups combined.

Departments have varying definitions of force and requirements for when officers must report their use of force, so those with more comprehensive reporting requirements may have more recorded incidents than departments with vague or incomplete requirements. Disruptions related to the COVID 19 pandemic may have affected the volume of police-community interactions recorded in 2020 and 2021, although the extent of this impact likely varies by jurisdiction according to the local policies and restrictions implemented in response to the outbreak. It is worth noting whether or the extent to which racial disparities persisted over this time period, despite the reduction in overall police activity.

How was this calculated?

Data required for this analysis:

COMPARING USE OF FORCE INCIDENT RATES

After using a statistical technique called regression analysis to account for the influence of different crime rates, poverty levels, and percent of Black residents in neighborhoods:

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What does this show?

This infographic displays findings from CPE’s regression analysis, a statistical technique that allows CPE to investigate differences in use of force rates by race, taking into account other socioeconomic factors that may affect policing strategies and deployment. Specifically, this regression tests how much more or less likely each racial group is than White people to have force used on them in a neighborhood with an average poverty rate, crime rate, and percentage of Black residents – three factors commonly associated with increased police contact. The results of this analysis show the size of racial disparities in use of force that remain even when the influence of poverty levels, crime rates, and the percentage of Black residents across neighborhoods are removed from the equation.

We take into account the share of Black residents, crime rates, and poverty levels in a neighborhood because these factors affect the likelihood that a person of any racial group in a neighborhood will have police contact. This relationship between police presence and the percent of Black residents in a neighborhood is, in part, a result of systemic racism and structural disadvantage (for example, a lack of community services can lead to more calls for police service). But police-driven factors, such as departmental policy or officer behavior, also contribute to increased police activity in neighborhoods with more Black residents, crime, and poverty.

How was this calculated?

To represent neighborhoods, we use Census tracts — small geographic areas of approximately 4,000 residents — as defined by the Census Bureau. We use publicly available Census data to measure the percentage of Black residents in each neighborhood

To measure serious crime rates, we count crimes in each neighborhood that are recorded by the department. Specifically, we count reports of Part 1 offenses. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics defines Part 1 offenses as: murder and non-negligent homicide, rape , robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny, and arson. Racial groups that made up less than 2% of all use of force incidents, or which had fewer than 40 total incidents, were excluded from this analysis (see the Data Notes tab for information on how we define racial groups).

Data required for this analysis:

Incident unique identifier
Date of incident
Person's racial group
Location of incident (i.e. street address, including zipcode or latitude/longitude)
Crime unique identifier
Crime date of incident
Crime offense (NIBRS/UCR) classification or description
Crime location (i.e. street address, including zipcode or latitude/longitude)

PERCENTAGE OF USE OF FORCE INCIDENT FREQUENCY EXPLAINED BY NEIGHBORHOOD FACTORS

This chart displays findings from CPE’s regression analysis, a statistical technique that tests how much neighborhood poverty levels, crime rates, and share of Black residents—three common explanations for increased police contact—contribute to how often all recorded use of force incidents occur.

Statistical analysis showed that neighborhood crime rates, poverty, and share of Black residents explained 57% of the frequency of use of force, while 43% was not explained by these factors.

For details on CPE’s regression analysis, see “More Information” below.

More information

What does this show?

This infographic displays findings from CPE’s regression analysis, a statistical technique that investigates how certain factors contribute to how often all use of force incidents occur. Specifically, it shows the results of testing how much neighborhood poverty levels, crime rates, and share of Black residents—three common explanations for increased police contact—are contributing to the frequency of use of force overall. The results of this analysis show that the frequency of use of force is largely not explained by (or predicted by) these external factors. It is likely that factors within the control of the department, such as departmental policy and practice or officer behavior, play a significant part in determining when, where, and who is subjected to force.

Our model cannot precisely distinguish the extent to which incident frequency is due to reasons within or outside of a department’s control, but we are able to use statistical tools to account for three of the most commonly proposed, quantifiable factors related to frequency of police contact. Thus, our model controls for the predictive effect of crime rates, poverty levels, and racial demographics on use of force frequency, but there are many additional factors that may have an impact on whether a person is likely to come into contact with law enforcement and subsequently be subjected to force.

How was this calculated?

To represent neighborhoods, we use Census tracts, which are small geographic areas of approximately 4,000 residents each, defined by the Census Bureau. We use publicly available Census data to measure neighborhood poverty levels and the percentage of Black residents.

To measure serious crime rates, we count crimes in each neighborhood that are recorded by the department. Specifically, we count reports of Part 1 offenses. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics defines Part 1 offenses as: murder and non-negligent homicide, rape (legacy and revised), robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny theft, and arson. Racial groups which made up less than 2% of all incidents, or which had fewer than 40 total incidents, were excluded from this analysis (see the Data Notes tab for information on how we define racial groups).

For an explanation of why we measure the share of Black residents as a potential factor influencing use of force, see “More information” under the analysis above.

Data required for this analysis:

Incident unique identifier
Date of incident
Person's racial group
Location of incident (i.e. street address, including zipcode or latitude/longitude)
Crime unique identifier
Crime date of incident
Crime offense (NIBRS/UCR) classification or description
Crime location (i.e. street address, including zipcode or latitude/longitude)

TOTAL USES OF EACH FORCE TYPE

According to Long Beach Police Department data on the types of force that officers recorded using:

The 3 most common force types recorded overall were "Otherly Bodily Force," "Takedown," and "Taser Discharge."
The force types officers recorded using against Black people in the highest percentages were “Neck Restraint” and “Chemical Irritant” For example, 45% of uses of force recorded as “Neck Restraint” and 43% of uses of force recorded as “Chemical Irritant” were against Black people.
The force types officers recorded using against Latinx people in the highest percentages were “Canine” and “Holds.” For example, 83% of uses of force recorded as “Canine” and 52% of uses of force recorded as “Holds” were against Latinx people.

Identifying officers’ most commonly used force types can help serve as a starting point for addressing racial disparities and decreasing use of force overall.

Note: Force types used less than 5 times are not included in the finding text for this analysis.

More information

What does this show?

This chart shows the total number of uses of each particular force type recorded for all racial groups combined. Any force type that was recorded in high numbers, or that was more often used against people in racial groups experiencing disparities, will influence racial disparities in use of force and the volume of incidents overall.

How was this calculated?

To investigate which force types were most common overall, we took the total recorded uses of force and separated them by force type. To investigate which force types may have an outsized impact on racial disparities, we then calculated the percentage of uses of each type of force that were against people of each racial group.

We count each distinct type of force that was recorded against any person as one force type, regardless of the number of other force types recorded against a given person, the number of officers who applied it, or the number of times it was applied. We combine categories for easier interpretation. See the Data Notes tab for details on how we sort force types provided by the department into these categories, and how we define racial groups.

Data required for this analysis:

USE OF FORCE INCIDENTS BY WORK UNIT AND RACIAL GROUP

Every work unit recorded using force against Black people at a disproportionate rate relative to their share of the population. Black people made up 12% of the population of Long Beach, but more than 27% of the people officers recorded using force against in every work unit.
"Other" and "South Patrol Division" recorded the highest percentages of use of force incidents against Black people. For example, 39% of incidents recorded by officers in "Other" and 39% of incidents recorded by officers in "South Patrol Division" were against Black people.
"Multiple Work Units" and "South Patrol Division" recorded the most incidents of force overall.

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What does this show?

“Work unit” describes the work groups in a department. It can refer to the assignment of the officer who applied force (e.g. Detective Unit, Narcotics, Traffic, etc.), or the geographic areas where incidents occurred (e.g. precincts, districts, zones, etc.).

Each colored bar shows the percentage of use of force incidents recorded by each work unit of people of each racial group. The Multiple Work Units category, if used, represents incidents involving officers from two or more work units. Hovering over a colored bar shows the number of incidents that make up that percentage. Any work unit that records a large number of use of force incidents or records large racial disparities will influence overall racial disparities in use of force. If disparities are present among most or all work units, the different racial makeup of various neighborhoods is likely not the whole explanation for the observed disparity.

How was this calculated?

We took the total recorded incidents of force and first separated them by the work unit that recorded the incident. We then calculated what percentage of incidents was recorded for people of each racial group.

The “Other Work Units” category, if used, combines the work units recording less than 2% of incidents. See the Data Notes tab for information on how we define racial groups.

Data required for this analysis:

WHAT COUNTS AS FORCE FOR THESE ANALYSES?

We reviewed Long Beach Police Department’s policies that defined the behaviors officers were required to report as force during the assessment timeframe. Understanding what types of incidents were required to be recorded, as well as gaps in what was required to be recorded, can help determine whether any incidents might have been missing from the provided dataset and reveal opportunities for improving data collection policies and practices.

We encourage departments to adopt use of force policies that clearly define what counts as reportable “force” and explicitly include every type of behavior that officers are required to report as a use of force incident. A comprehensive use of force reporting policy would require officers to record every incident in which they use their body, a tool, or a weapon to overcome resistance, secure compliance, or in any way that could cause pain, injury or death, regardless of the officer’s motivation or whether any injury or complaint results. CPE’s resources provide further details on how law enforcement agencies can effectively collect use of force data and communities can advocate for comprehensive use of force reporting.

Departmental definition of force

According to the policy manual shared by the Long Beach Police Department, s.7.1.2, “Use of Force,” incorporating Revised Special Order–Use of Force, effective January 16, 2020, p.2, “Use of Force–Definitions,” force was defined as follows:

“Force is any action to control a subject or to overcome resistance through the use of physical strength, weaponless defense techniques, pain compliance techniques, defensive weapons or a combination thereof.”

Use of Force Policy, s.10.7.2.5-7 set out the use of force reporting requirements. A officer was required to record use of force in the following circumstances:

7.1.2.5 USE OF FORCE – REPORTABLE USE OF FORCE
A reportable use of force occurs when any officer, in the course and scope of his or her employment, whether on or off duty, uses any physical force upon a non compliant person, for purposes other than training. A reportable use of force includes, but is not limited to the following:

1. Takedowns
2. Impact weapons
3. Chemical agents
4. Less lethal systems
5. K-9 bites
6. Carotid control hold
7. Deadly force

Use of Force Policy, s.10.7.2.6 directed officers not to report use of force in the following circumstances:

7.1.2.6 USE OF FORCE – NON-REPORTABLE USE OF FORCE
The following force options are non-reportable:

- Controlling force when there is no complaint of ongoing pain or injury after the force has stopped;
- Controlling force ranges from exerting a firm grip on a subject, to pain compliance control holds, to an actual physical hold or lock;
- Use of the hobble or expectorant shield when the subject is compliant during its application.

Use of Force Policy, s.10.7.2.7(1)-(2) required employees to file a use of force report in the following circumstances:

7.1.2.7 USE OF FORCE – EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES
An employee will immediately notify a supervisor regarding a use of force incident, unless exigent circumstances delay the notification. Employees are responsible for the following:

- All on-duty employees must complete a report detailing the use of force by the end of the officer’s shift, unless exigent circumstances prevent the officer from filing his/her own report;
- Any employee that uses force must personally document their actions in a police report;
- Any officer not directly involved, but a witness to a reportable use of force will have their observations recorded in a police report;
- If an employee is off-duty, out of jurisdiction, and involved in a reportable use of force incident, the employee shall notify the Watch Commander as soon as practicable, and file a memorandum to their Division Commander articulating the circumstances surrounding the use of force incident no later than the end of their next work shift.

Note: Long Beach Police Department’s Use of Force policies, including how force is defined, strategies around de-escalation, use of deadly force, and more were updated and implemented over the course of 2023, after the assessment period. Those updates can be viewed in chapter 10 of the Long Beach Police Department Policy Manual.

WHAT POLICIES GOVERN OFFICERS' USE OF FORCE?

CPE’s guidance on improving use of force policy outlines policy recommendations that law enforcement agencies or policy makers can implement to help prevent and limit use of force. Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) provided CPE with information on policies that governed officers’ use of force.

In this section, we list CPE’s recommendations for improving use of force policy and indicate which of these recommendations LBPD reported that it has already implemented as of March 13, 2025:

Require officers to promptly intervene in the moment and report if they see a fellow officer using excessive force.
Mandate that officers provide or call for medical care for any person injured by police use of force, as well as anyone in police custody who requires medical attention.
State that use of deadly force is a last resort, and is only authorized when other reasonable alternatives have been exhausted or would clearly be ineffective at preventing an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury.
Prohibit the use of chokeholds and neckholds.
Restrict the use of restraint methods that can cause breathing impairment or positional asphyxia.
Clarify expectations around use of weapons associated with use of force disparities.
Mandate the use of de-escalation tactics.
Require officers to use the minimal amount of force necessary.

For more information on LBPD’s work to reduce racial disparities and promote more equitable policing practices, see the Departmental Context tab of this assessment.