Use of deadly force by police on the rise
In the last 30 days, deadly force was used four times by metro Atlanta law enforcement agencies, with three deaths.
Local police agencies used deadly force on 56 occasions last year, the highest total over the last seven years, according to an analysis of law enforcement data by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and there’s also been a rise statewide.
GBI Director Vernon Keenan — whose agency investigates a majority of such incidents statewide — acknowledged the increase, attributing it to a rise in violence against law enforcement.
“Talking to counterparts in other states, all of us are seeing an increase [in use of deadly force],” Keenan said.
Read what law enforcement officials say are the reasons for the spike in deadly force incidents and why some critics say it’s a distrubing trend in Tuesday’s AJC or visit myajc.com.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
