Use of Force Submissions: Manually Recording a Use of Force Incident

Law enforcement agencies are typically required to document all use of force incidents. This documentation includes details such as the incident's date, time, and location. Reporting requirements may mandate agencies to gather information about the officers involved, such as their names, badge numbers, and ranks. Agencies may also be required to collect relevant information about the individuals subjected to force, including their names, demographic details, and any injuries sustained.

It's important to note that use of force reporting requirements vary significantly depending on local, state, or national laws and regulations. It is recommended to consult the specific guidelines applicable to your jurisdiction for precise information on reporting obligations.

Continuing our Use of Force series, we'll cover a quick example of manually recording a Use of Force Incident through the Pennsylvania UCR portal.

*Note - We use the UCR Test Site in this example for illustrative purposes. The "live" UCR Site may have slight differences.

*You can click on any pictures in this post to expand the size.

To access the Pennsylvania UCR Site, navigate to https://www.ucr.pa.gov/ and log in using your Keystone credentials.

Manually Reporting a Use of Force Incident

Expand the "Data Center" heading (A) from the left-hand menu, and select the "New Use Of Force" option (B).

A nice feature of the PAUCR portal is the ability to "Error Check" manually entered data. An "Error Display" toggle can be found at the top of each page (A). Selecting "Yes" displays any errors or missing data on the current form.

Before filling out the complete Use of Force Incident information, we must answer the Use of Force Quailifcation questions (B) (Check all that apply). Next, we need to enter basic agency/incident information: including the Agency, Agency Case number, Date of the Incident, and the Incident Hour and Minute (C). Once the basic agency/incident information is entered, select the "Create Use of Force Report" button (D).

Location and Incident Information

Figure 1 - illustrates the location and incident information gathered in a Use of Force Report.

(A) - Latitude and Longitude of the Incident (Must be within PA.)

(B) - Location Type of the Incident (Be as specific as possible.)

(C) - Initial Contact Type

(D) - Offenses 1-3 (If Initial Contact Type (C) is "Response to unlawful or suspicious activity," then up to three (3) of the most serious offense classifications must be selected.)

(E) - Incident Number (This can be the NIBRS Incident Number or the Agency Case Number.)

Figure 1

Incident Information (Cont.) and Other Agencies Involved

Figure 2 - illustrates a continuation of the incident information and any other involved agencies gathered in a Use of Force Report.

(A) - Did the Officer Approach the Subject (Yes/No)

(B) - Was this an ambush incident (Yes/No)

(C) - Was a supervisor present or contacted before the use of force (Yes/No)

(D) - Other Agencies Involved (If officers from other agencies used force in the incident, the reporting agency must provide each agency's ORI and case number.)

Figure 2

Number of Subjects

Figure 3 - illustrates the number of subjects involved in the Use of Force incident.

(A) - The number of subjects that died or received a serious bodily injury or received the discharge of a firearm at or in their direction.

(B) - New Suject Button (Used to create a new subject record.)

Figure 3

Subject DemograpHics, Description, and Impairment

Figure 4 - illustrates the Demographics, Description (Age, Height, Weight), and Impairment of the Subject in the Use of Force incident. A separate subject record should be created for each Subject where force was used.

(A) - The Sex of the Subject

(B) - The Race and Ethnicity of the Subject (Select all that apply.)

(C) - The Age or Age Range of the Subject

(D) - The Height or Height Range of the Subject

(E) - The Weight or Weight Range of the Subject

(F) - Apparent or Known Impairment(s) (Yes/No)

(G) - Impairment Type(s) (Select all that apply.)

Figure 4

Subject Threat and Resistance

Figure 5 - illustrates the Threats and Resistance Type(s) recorded in the Use of Force Incident.

(A) - Was the Threat Directed at the Officer, Another Party, or Both (Officer, Another Party, Both)

(B) - At any time was the Subject armed or believed to be armed (Yes/No)

(C) - Did the Subject Resist the Officers (Yes/No)

(D) - What resistance or weapons was or believed to be involved (Select all that apply.)

Figure 5

Type(s) of Force and Injury

Figure 6 - illustrates the Type(s) of Force used by Law Enforcement and Subject Injury Type(s).

(A) - Type(s) of Force Used by Law Enforcement (Select all that apply.)

(B) - Subject Injury Type(s) (Select all that apply.)

(C) - Save Use of Force Subject (Saves the Subject information.)

(D) - Return to Incident (Returns to the main Use of Force entry form.)

Figure 6

Number of Officers Involved

Figure 7 - illustrates the Total number of Officers that applied force in the incident.

(A) - Total Number of Officers from all responding agencies who actually applied force

(B) - Numbers of Officers from the reporting agency who actually applied force

(C) - New Officer Button (Used to create a new officer record.)

Figure 7

Officer Demographics, Description, and Service

Figure 8 - illustrates the Demographics, Description (Age, Height, Weight), and Service status of an involved officer. A separate officer record should be created for each Officer that applied force in the incident.

(A) - The Sex of the Officer

(B) - The Race and Ethnicity of the Subject (Select all that apply.)

(C) - The Age of the Officer (At the time of the incident)

(D) - The Height of the Officer

(E) - The Weight of the Officer

(F) - Years of service in Law Enforcement (Total Tenure)

(G) - Full-Time (35 or more hours per week) (Yes/No)

Figure 8

Officer Response and Injury

Figure 9 - illustrates information about the Officer's response and Injury Type(s).

(A) - Was the Officer Readily Identifiable (Yes/No)

(B) - Was the Officer on duty (Yes/No)

(C) - Did the Officer discharge their firearm at or in the direction of a person (Yes/No)

(D) - Was the Officer injured (Yes/No)

(E) - Officer Injury Type(s) (Select all that apply.)

(F) - Save Use of Force Officer (Saves the Officer information.)

(G) - Return to Incident (Returns to the main Use of Force entry form.)

Figure 9

Saving and Submitting the Use of Force Incident

Once the Incident, Subject, and Officer details have been entered, select the "Save Use of Force Report" button (A) and then select the "Submit Data" button (B).