Who was killed
| Recorded race | Killed by police | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White | 193 | 0.0% |
| Unknown race | 69 | 0.0% |
| Hispanic | 53 | 0.0% |
| Black | 45 | 0.0% |
| Native American | 16 | 0.0% |
| Asian | 13 | 0.0% |
| Pacific Islander | 9 | 0.0% |
| Black;Hispanic | 1 | 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 Washington 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.
| Agency | Type | Killed by police | Body camera on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Police Department | 35 | 63.6% | |
| Pierce County Sheriff's Office | 33 | 8.0% | |
| Spokane Police Department | 28 | 50.0% | |
| Spokane County Sheriff's Office | 18 | 16.7% | |
| Tacoma Police Department | 16 | 7.1% | |
| Vancouver Police Department | 14 | 33.3% | |
| Kent Police Department | 12 | 10.0% |
Where a complaint goes in Washington
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 Washington Attorney General 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 Washington law, not federal law, and they are strict.
How people were killed
| Cause of death | Deaths | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Gunshot | 371 | 93.0% |
| Gunshot, Taser | 11 | 2.8% |
| Taser | 9 | 2.3% |
| Physical Restraint | 2 | 0.5% |
| Beaten | 2 | 0.5% |
| Vehicle | 1 | 0.3% |
| Stabbed | 1 | 0.3% |
| Physical restraint | 1 | 0.3% |
| Asphyxiated | 1 | 0.3% |
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 399 deaths recorded in Washington, 2 led to a criminal charge against an officer, 0.5% of them. In 397 there is no known charge.
| Outcome where a charge was brought | Cases |
|---|---|
| Convicted, or pleaded guilty | 0 |
| Acquitted | 1 |
| Charges dropped | 0 |
| Charged, outcome not recorded | 1 |
Share a finding about Washington
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.
Washington recorded 3.65 deaths per million residents per year, against a national figure of 3.32. That is 1.1× the national rate, once population is accounted for.
Source: Mapping Police Violence, 2013 to 2026; US Census Bureau population estimates. Figures as published; see the tables on this page for the full denominators.
Washington 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.
- Veteran DC cop files $4M whistleblower lawsuit against MPD over crime data
- Wrongful death lawsuit filed in Tri-Cities’ deputy shooting of attempted carjacker
- WA cops accused of misconduct evade decertification law
- Man sues Enoch City, police after being incorrectly identified as suspect in online sting operation
- Fired officers in Washington disproportionately land at tribal police departments
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.