Introducing the Policy Explorer

Today we're launching the Use of Force Policy Explorer, a new tool that analyzes force policies from the 100 largest U.S. cities' principal police departments, as collected in 2023.

Working with digital agency Hyperobjekt, we built this interactive resource to examine each regulation against policy criteria derived from the Center's Model Use of Force Policy, probing fundamental tensions in American policing—from balancing officer safety with community members' rights to navigating the relationship between officer discretion and accountability.

What the Policy Explorer Offers

Our dataset comprises what we believe to be the largest systematic analysis of American force regulations to date—examining 22 distinct policy dimensions across 100 jurisdictions for a total of 2,200 regulations. Our research team reviewed over 11,000 pages of these regulations from publicly available use of force policies from each city's primary law enforcement agency, focusing on the main policies.

The analysis uses a structured yes/no framework to evaluate whether policies contain provisions aligned with our Model Policy. These criteria reflect ongoing debates about appropriate use of force in American law enforcement, including contentious issues like proper thresholds for using force and de-escalation requirements. While this approach enables systematic comparison, it cannot capture all policy nuances. The evaluations indicate whether specific provisions are present but do not assess their effectiveness, implementation, or impact.

Why Transparency Matters

It's worth noting that police departments appear to have heeded calls for more transparency on their policies, seen the value of making the regulations available to the public, or both. When we collected these policies in 2023, regulations from 91 of the 100 largest cities were available on police department websites. New accountability regimes have contributed to this shift towards transparency. For instance, California, home to 15 of those cities, enacted a law effective January 1, 2020, requiring law enforcement agencies to post online all standards, policies, procedures, and training materials that would otherwise be available to the public under the state's public records law.

Despite this progress in transparency, understanding and comparing these policies remains challenging. The Policy Explorer bridges this gap, providing accessible insights into how different departments regulate use of force.

A Starting Point for Understanding Police Policies

These findings are a starting point for understanding police use of force policies rather than a comprehensive evaluation of any department's practices. While this tool identifies important policy elements, it should be viewed alongside other resources, including current department policies, which may have been updated since our analysis.

Policies regulating use of force are fundamental to safe, fair, and effective law enforcement. The Stanford Center for Racial Justice studies force regulations across America, develops model policies—including the 10-module Model Use of Force Policy—and implements evidence-based reforms, bringing research insights to front-line policing through innovative partnerships with police departments.

How to Use the Policy Explorer

The Policy Explorer is designed to be accessible to various stakeholders—community members, advocates, elected officials, researchers, and police professionals. Users can:

• Compare policies across departments on specific criteria
• Examine the presence or absence of key restrictions and requirements
• Identify leading practices and potential areas for improvement
• Access specific policy language to understand how departments frame their regulations

For a detailed explanation of our methodology and broader policy trends, please see our full Research Report.

This tool builds on our Center's commitment to evidence-based reform in policing practices, particularly around use of force regulations. We hope the Policy Explorer will serve as a valuable resource for communities across the country seeking to understand and improve their local police department's policies.

We invite you to explore this tool and share your feedback as we continue to expand our research and deepen our analysis of police use of force policies across the nation.

Dan Sutton is Director of Justice and Safety at the Stanford Center for Racial Justice