Law Enforcement Officers

We determined that DHS has not done enough to minimize the risk of improper use of force by law enforcement officers.  Specifically, the Department does not:  (1) have an office responsible for managing and overseeing component use of force activities; (2) ensure the collection and validation of component data needed to assess use of force activities, minimize risks, and take corrective actions; (3) ensure use of force policies have been updated to reflect current operations and lessons learned; or (4) establish consistent requirements for less-lethal recurrent training and ensure training was completed as required.  Additionally, each component varies on their use of force activities.  Without improvements in the management and oversight of use of force activities, the Department may increase its risk of improper use of force by law enforcement officers.  DHS concurred with our two recommendations, which, if implemented, will help the Department actively oversee and assist with component use of force activities, update policies, and improve training.