Minneapolis police use of force data now online

Anyone who checks the Minneapolis Police Department website can now find out details about police use of force incidents that weren't available previously without filing a data request. 

The new resource includes information on what kind of force officers used, where the incidents happened and basic demographic information on the people who are the subjects of police force. Users can also find out what the officers reported as their reasons for using force.

Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo said this is part of the department's ongoing efforts to build community trust through greater transparency.  

"Too often in policing — our culture, our history — we've shielded our communities from this data," said Arradondo on Tuesday. "They have a right to this data. And starting today, the Minneapolis Police Department is going to make sure our communities have this data."  

Like a previous MPD data dashboard with traffic stop numbers, the use of force data show that African Americans are the frequent targets of police action.  

According to the database, there have been more than 700 incidents involving police use of force so far this year. The majority of the people who've been the subject of force are African American.

The names of officers who use force are not included in the online database. However, the dashboard does include the years of service of officers involved in fatal and non-fatal shootings.