HOUSTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) released statistics today on use-of-force incidents for fiscal year 2015-2016, claiming a reduction in incidents, yet falling far short in addressing necessary reforms.
The following can be attributed to Terri Burke, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas:
“CBP’s release today celebrates a decrease in use-of-force incidents based on incomplete statistics that exclude many uses of force as defined by the Department of Justice. Because CBP has no proper definition of a reportable use of force, there’s no way to identify the prevalence of incidents accurately. CBP should use force only as a last resort, and any force used must be publicly reported and investigated to ensure that it was necessary and proportional, with results announced. Until then, well-founded concerns by border residents that CBP culture values militarized policing over de-escalation and the preservation of human life will persist.”
The following can be attributed to Chris Rickerd, policy counsel with the ACLU:
“This data is welcome but raises several alarms. First, Border Patrol defines use of force more narrowly than the Justice Department, leading to an undercount. Second, the large, steady number of ‘less lethal’ force incidents demands more context: Why hasn’t the agency’s new emphasis on de-escalation had a larger effect and what disciplinary consequences have resulted from force incidents that violate policy?
“Finally, the Border Patrol’s propensity to frequently use force underscores our disappointment at its slow pace of accountability reforms. Body-worn cameras within a strong policy framework are badly overdue and an independent law-enforcement panel’s June 2015 use-of-force recommendations must be implemented immediately.”
Click here to view CBP’s Use of Force Statistics Report.