NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For the first time, there's a report that breaks down the use of force by Nashville police officers. It was created and released by the Metro Nashville Community Oversight Board, and they say the numbers are disturbing.
The data breaks down use of force cases by MNPD since 2018. It shows there was a spike in cases in 2019 due to a new change in policy where police began requiring reports of when officers displayed their firearm as a use of force. There was another spike in 2022, because it was the first year the MNPD required the reporting of soft-empty hand tactics like grabs or holds to diffuse a situation.
The data found that Black and Hispanic people, both adults and youth, are more likely to be recipients of use of force from police. In schools, the report says black youth are the most likely to have force used against them by school resource officers, especially with weapons drawn.
The data for 2022 shows, of cases involving SROs, 96% were black and 58% were female. On average, of officers who had used force, Asian officers had used force 4.40 times, American Indian or Alaska Native officers had used force 5.00 times, Black officers had used force 5.40 times, Hispanic or Latino officers had used force 6.47 times, officers of two or more races had used force 6.47 times, and white officers had used force 7.22 times.
“This report shows us that we must continue to have accountability and oversight of the Metro Nashville Police Department,” said Jill Fitcheard, the Executive Director of Metro Nashville Community Oversight. “The different ranges of force used, the frequency of the force, and who the force is used on, are deeply disturbing."
North Nashville, Antioch, and South Nashville are the areas with the most cases.
The Community Oversight board is urging the Chief of Police to accept and implement 13 policy recommendations immediately to cut down the numbers like focus recruitment on non-white and female candidates.
They say MNPD should create a peer review panel where supervisors or peers can anonymously report officers who they believe are involved in an above-average number of violent encounters to show Nashville residents that police are committed to de-escalation tactics before using any type of force.
"The implementation will make our city safer, have a significant impact on policing, and convey to Nashville residents that MNPD is committed to prioritizing de-escalation tactics before using any type of force on individuals," said Fitcheard.
The MNCO will hold a forum next week to get public comment. It's scheduled for 5 p.m. August 8th at the Bordeaux Library. Click here for the full report by the community oversight board.
Metro Police responded to the report with the following:
The MNPD is very concerned about the accuracy, integrity, and methodology of this report. This document is clearly deficient as it relates to data and laws/policies which govern officers on use of force. Comprehensive Use of Force data shows that very few people who interact with the MNPD have force used against them, the Nashville public at large is not an at-risk population to receive an application of force by the MNPD, and this report uses a flawed sample.
Any suggestion that the men and women of the MNPD engage in disparate policing, without an accurate analysis of all the data, only provides a divisive and inflammatory narrative while ignoring the real disparities of crime divides in our communities.
The MNPD remains committed to Chief Drake’s three core pillars: organizational excellence, community engagement, and precision policing. In his time as Chief, traffic stops are down and a shift towards focusing on persistent offenders and problem locations has led to dramatic impacts on violent crime. Community engagement has grown with implementation of the Office of Community Outreach and Partnerships, which bridges diverse groups across Nashville towards the common goal of improved police community relations and crime reduction, the Police Activities League, which brings together police and youth from at-risk communities, and other programs to foster stronger ties and sense of responsibility to the diverse communities the MNPD serves.
