Who was killed
| Recorded race | Killed by police | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 938 | 0.0% |
| White | 580 | 0.0% |
| Black | 301 | 0.0% |
| Unknown race | 172 | 0.0% |
| Asian | 99 | 0.0% |
| Pacific Islander | 11 | 0.0% |
| Native American | 9 | 0.0% |
| Black;Hispanic | 6 | 0.0% |
| Native American;Hispanic | 2 | 0.0% |
Recorded by Mapping Police Violence from public reporting and official sources. Where race was not established it is recorded as not recorded, and that category is shown rather than removed.
What the person was recorded as armed with
| Recorded as armed with | Killed by police |
|---|
Agencies in California with enough records to report
Only agencies recorded in at least 12 incidents are given their own page. Most of the 4,641 agencies in the database appear once or twice, and a page built on one or two incidents would say nothing.
Where a complaint goes in California
A complaint normally goes first to the agency's own internal affairs division. Larger cities may also have a civilian review board or independent monitor. The Office of the Attorney General, California can investigate patterns of misconduct, and the federal Department of Justice can open a pattern-or-practice investigation.
A civil claim for a violation of constitutional rights is usually brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Deadlines are set by California law, not federal law, and they are strict.
How people were killed
| Cause of death | Deaths | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Gunshot | 1,946 | 91.9% |
| Gunshot, Taser | 63 | 3.0% |
| Taser | 49 | 2.3% |
| Physical Restraint | 28 | 1.3% |
| Beaten | 12 | 0.6% |
| Vehicle | 4 | 0.2% |
| Gunshot, Police Dog | 2 | 0.1% |
| Asphyxiated | 2 | 0.1% |
| Bean bag | 1 | 0.0% |
| Pepper Spray, Taser | 1 | 0.0% |
| Gunshot, Pepper Spray, Police Dog | 1 | 0.0% |
| Physical Restraint, Police Dog | 1 | 0.0% |
| Physical Restraint, Taser | 1 | 0.0% |
| Bean Bag Gun, Gunshot | 1 | 0.0% |
| Gunshot, Pepper Spray | 1 | 0.0% |
| Bean Bag Shotgun, Gunshot, Taser | 1 | 0.0% |
| Gunshot, Vehicle | 1 | 0.0% |
| Gunshot, Pepper spray, Taser | 1 | 0.0% |
| Other | 1 | 0.0% |
| Beaten, Pepper Spray, Taser | 1 | 0.0% |
Where more than one means is recorded for the same death, both appear in the combined category rather than being counted twice.
Were any officers charged
Of the 2,118 deaths recorded in California, 23 led to a criminal charge against an officer, 1.1% of them. In 2,095 there is no known charge.
| Outcome where a charge was brought | Cases |
|---|---|
| Convicted, or pleaded guilty | 5 |
| Acquitted | 2 |
| Charges dropped | 0 |
| Charged, outcome not recorded | 16 |
Share a finding about California
Every statement here is generated from the published figures by code. None of it is written by a person or produced by a language model, and each one carries its source and its period so you can check it before you pass it on.
24.4% of the deaths recorded for California involved a person the reporting agency recorded as showing signs of mental illness: 434 of 1,780 cases where the field was completed.
Source: Mapping Police Violence, 2013 to 2026. Figures as published; see the tables on this page for the full denominators.
California policing in the news
The five most recent reports mentioning this force, collected automatically. Headlines and links belong to the publishers named. We do not edit, summarise or endorse them, and inclusion here does not imply any finding against anyone.
- Family of 23-year-old Jaque Rabon sues California deputies after fatal shooting
- Vallejo police oversight body approves independent police auditor
- A typo by California police led to violent arrest of innocent man who later died, officials say
- UCSB Must Pay $3.3 Million to 3 Current, Former Police Officers, Jury Rules
- LAPD officer who recorded colleagues' racist, homophobic comments may face criminal case
Data last refreshed , covering 2013 to 2026. Every figure on this page is recomputed from the source datasets, not edited by hand. Found something wrong? Tell us.