Use of Force

This report examines publicly available data from the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which is part of a series of NIBRS reports completed by the Washington State Statistical Analysis Center (SAC). This report examines victimization patterns, including the offense information, presence of bias motivation, use of weapons and/or force, presence of injury, and presence of familial relationship in victimization.

This one-page report focuses on victimization trends in Washington State from 2013 to 2023 using National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data. Victimization often distinguishes between the occurrence of violence and the ways in which harm is produced through different mechanisms such as force, weapons, and escalation. Patterns also vary across sex and race, with differences in exposure to certain forms of violence and injury contexts noted across demographic groups.