National Statistics on Deadly Force Transparency Act of 2025
The National Statistics on Deadly Force Transparency Act of 2025 would require the Attorney General to issue federal regulations within six months to standardize and require the collection of data on every use of deadly force by federal, state, and local law enforcement. The regulations would mandate a comprehensive data set for each incident, including demographic details of the person targeted and the officer (race/ethnicity, gender, approximate age, and actual or perceived religious affiliation), when and where the incident occurred, any alleged criminal activity, the type of deadly force used, agency explanations, the agency’s use-of-force guidelines, and descriptions of any non-lethal steps taken before deadly force. The data would be gathered using a standardized form submitted to the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and retained for at least four years. The BJS would then publish the collected data for Congress and the public, with personal identifiers protected. The bill also sets a financial consequence: if a state or local government receiving Byrne/JAG grants substantially fails to comply, the next year's grant award could be cut by 10%.
Key Points
- 1Regulations required within six months, developed with input from federal, state, local law enforcement, and community, professional, research, and civil rights groups.
- 2Data collection requirements: every deadly force incident, with detailed fields for demographics (including actual or perceived religion), timing/location, alleged criminal activity, force used, agency rationale, current guidelines, and non-lethal efforts; excludes personally identifiable information.
- 3Standardized form and reporting: agencies must use a DOJ-provided form to compile and submit data to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and other DOJ components; data retained for at least four years.
- 4Public reporting: the BJS must provide to Congress and make available to the public the collected data, excluding any personally identifiable information.
- 5Compliance incentive: states/localities receiving Byrne/JAG grants could have 10% of their next award withheld if they fail to substantially comply with the data collection requirements.