Frontline: Documenting Police Use of Force

Tuesday, April 30 at 9 p.m.

“Frontline” investigates deaths after police used tactics like prone restraint and other “less-lethal” force. With “The Associated Press,” “Frontline” draws on police records, autopsy reports and body cam footage, the most expansive tally of such deaths nationwide.

Every day, police utilize tactics that are meant to stop people without killing them, such as physical holds, Tasers and body blows. But when misused, these tactics involve what police call “less-lethal force” and there are times when these tactics can end in death.

The federal government has worked for years to count these types of deaths, and the information it collects is often kept from the public and incomplete. But a multiplatform investigation from a team led by “The Associated Press” is offering an extensive accounting of deaths following these kinds of encounters.

The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University and the University of Maryland collaborated with “The Associated Press” for the three-year-long investigation. The reporting draws on tens of thousands of documents, including autopsies, police incident reports, and never-before-published footage from body-worn cameras and bystander cell phones. They worked together to create an interactive database and visual story that is available from “Frontline” here.

“We’re so pleased to continue our ongoing partnership with ‘The Associated Press’ and to work with The Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism to tackle this critical, multiplatform investigation,” said “Frontline” editor-in-chief and executive producer Raney Aronson-Rath. “We hope that this interactive, documentary and joint accountability reporting will offer a comprehensive and probing look at police use of force in America.”

Explore the interactive database and watch “Documenting Police Use of Force” on air Tuesday, April 30 at 9 p.m.