Homicides by Police: Comparing Counts From the National Violent Death Reporting System, Vital Statistics, and Supplementary Homicide Reports

doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303074

. 2016 May;106(5):922-7.

doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303074. Epub 2016 Mar 17.

Homicides by Police: Comparing Counts From the National Violent Death Reporting System, Vital Statistics, and Supplementary Homicide Reports

Catherine Barber¹, Deborah Azrael¹, Amy Cohen¹, Matthew Miller¹, Deonza Thymes¹, David Enze Wang¹, David Hemenway¹

Affiliations

Affiliation

¹ Catherine Barber, Deborah Azrael, Amy Cohen, and David Hemenway are with the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Matthew Miller is with the Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. At the time of the study, Deonza Thymes was a master's of public health student at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. David Enze Wang is a student at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

PMID: 26985611
PMCID: PMC4985110
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303074

Homicides by Police: Comparing Counts From the National Violent Death Reporting System, Vital Statistics, and Supplementary Homicide Reports

Catherine Barber et al. Am J Public Health. 2016 May.

. 2016 May;106(5):922-7.

doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303074. Epub 2016 Mar 17.

Authors

Catherine Barber¹, Deborah Azrael¹, Amy Cohen¹, Matthew Miller¹, Deonza Thymes¹, David Enze Wang¹, David Hemenway¹

Affiliation

¹ Catherine Barber, Deborah Azrael, Amy Cohen, and David Hemenway are with the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Matthew Miller is with the Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. At the time of the study, Deonza Thymes was a master's of public health student at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. David Enze Wang is a student at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

PMID: 26985611
PMCID: PMC4985110
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303074

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) as a surveillance system for homicides by law enforcement officers.

Methods: We assessed sensitivity and positive predictive value of the NVDRS "type of death" variable against our study count of homicides by police, which we derived from NVDRS coded and narrative data for states participating in NVDRS 2005 to 2012. We compared state counts of police homicides from NVDRS, Vital Statistics, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Supplementary Homicide Reports.

Results: We identified 1552 police homicides in the 16 states. Positive predictive value and sensitivity of the NVDRS "type of death" variable for police homicides were high (98% and 90%, respectively). Counts from Vital Statistics and Supplementary Homicide Reports were 58% and 48%, respectively, of our study total; gaps varied widely by state. The annual rate of police homicide (0.24/100,000) varied 5-fold by state and 8-fold by race/ethnicity.

Conclusions: NVDRS provides more complete data on police homicides than do existing systems.

Policy implications: Expanding NVDRS to all 50 states and making 2 improvements we identify will be an efficient way to provide the nation with more accurate, detailed data on homicides by law enforcement.

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Figures

**FIGURE 1—**
Sensitivity and Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) Abstractor Coding of Law Enforcement Homicide, 16 States (Using the NVDRS Study as the Gold Standard): United States, 2005–2012 ^aThe figure excludes 18 decedents coded by the NVDRS abstractor as legal intervention deaths but for which there was insufficient information in the incident narrative for the authors to ascertain case status. These 18 are included in the other tables and figures because PPV for NVDRS abstractor was so high. ^bThe universe on which Sensitivity is calculated is NVDRS decedents with markers suggestive of legal intervention homicide, not on an objective gold standard. Because the universe is a subset of all NVDRS cases, Specificity and Negative Predictive Value are not calculated.

**FIGURE 2—**
Rate of Law Enforcement Homicides per 100 000 Population by Race/Ethnicity and Year, 16 National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) States (on the Basis of NVDRS Study Count): United States, 2005–2012

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References

1. Wines M, Cohen S. Police killings rise slightly, though increased focus may suggest otherwise. 2015. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/01/us/no-sharp-rise-seen-in-police-killin.... Accessed August 20, 2015.
1. Leonnig C. Current law gives police wide latitude to use deadly force. 2015. Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/current-law-gives-police-wide-lat.... Accessed August 10, 2015.
1. US Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Attorney General Holder urges improved data reporting on both shootings of police officers and use of force by police. 2015. Available at: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-holder-urges-improved-dat.... Accessed August 10, 2015.
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) nonfatal injury data. 2013. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/nonfatal.html. Accessed August 12, 2015.
1. Bureau of Justice Statistics. The nation’s two measures of homicide. 2014. Available at: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ntmh.pdf 8/4/2015. Accessed August 4, 2015.

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[1] Wines M, Cohen S. Police killings rise slightly, though increased focus may suggest otherwise. 2015. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/01/us/no-sharp-rise-seen-in-police-killin.... Accessed August 20, 2015.

[2] Wines M, Cohen S. Police killings rise slightly, though increased focus may suggest otherwise. 2015. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/01/us/no-sharp-rise-seen-in-police-killin.... Accessed August 20, 2015.

[3] Leonnig C. Current law gives police wide latitude to use deadly force. 2015. Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/current-law-gives-police-wide-lat.... Accessed August 10, 2015.

[4] Leonnig C. Current law gives police wide latitude to use deadly force. 2015. Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/current-law-gives-police-wide-lat.... Accessed August 10, 2015.

[5] US Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Attorney General Holder urges improved data reporting on both shootings of police officers and use of force by police. 2015. Available at: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-holder-urges-improved-dat.... Accessed August 10, 2015.

[6] US Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Attorney General Holder urges improved data reporting on both shootings of police officers and use of force by police. 2015. Available at: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-holder-urges-improved-dat.... Accessed August 10, 2015.

[7] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) nonfatal injury data. 2013. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/nonfatal.html. Accessed August 12, 2015.

[8] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) nonfatal injury data. 2013. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/nonfatal.html. Accessed August 12, 2015.

[9] Bureau of Justice Statistics. The nation’s two measures of homicide. 2014. Available at: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ntmh.pdf 8/4/2015. Accessed August 4, 2015.

[10] Bureau of Justice Statistics. The nation’s two measures of homicide. 2014. Available at: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ntmh.pdf 8/4/2015. Accessed August 4, 2015.

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Homicides by Police: Comparing Counts From the National Violent Death Reporting System, Vital Statistics, and Supplementary Homicide Reports

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Homicides by Police: Comparing Counts From the National Violent Death Reporting System, Vital Statistics, and Supplementary Homicide Reports

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