MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The US Federal Bureau of Investigation will replace its system for tracking fatal police shootings, broadening the information on police encounters in 2017, a senior FBI official said.
"We are responding to a real human outcry. People want to know what police are doing, and they want to know why they are using force. It always fell to the bottom before. It is now the highest priority," Stephen L. Morris, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division said Tuesday, as quoted by The Washington Post newspaper.
According to the media outlet, the new system will not only track fatal shootings, but also record cases where a member of the law enforcement injured a civilian via stun guns and pepper spray, as well as fists and feet.
According to Morris, the data recorded by the system will be "much more granular," and will possibly include factors such as gender and race of officers and suspects, as well as weapons used and trheat levels. This information will be collected and made public in "near real-time," according to the newspaper.
The United States has seen waves of mass protests over the past year against police brutality as well as racial profiling, prompted by the numerous killings of unarmed individuals.
