All 50 US states fail to meet international standards on police use of lethal force: Amnesty

A new report compiled by Amnesty International USA has found that all 50 US states and the District of Columbia fail to comply with international standards on police use of lethal force.

Entitled ‘Deadly Force: Police Use of Lethal Force in the United States,’ the report urges reform at the state and federal levels to bring laws in accordance with the international law and standards.

The international standards allow for the use of lethal force only as a last resort when it becomes strictly necessary for police to protect themselves or others against imminent threat of death or serious injury.

Amnesty International USA executive director Steven Hawkins said: "Police have a fundamental obligation to protect human life. Deadly force must be reserved as a method of absolute last resort.

"The fact that absolutely no US state laws conform to this standard is deeply disturbing and raises serious human rights concerns.

"Reform is needed and it is needed immediately. Lives are at stake."

Based on the review of relevant US Supreme Court decisions, the Department of Justice guidelines on the use of deadly force, the report accuses 13 states of also failing to meet the lower standards set by US constitutional law on the use of lethal force by law enforcement officers.

Nine states, including Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, as well as the District of Columbia were found to be lacking laws on the use of lethal force.

In addition, none of the states’ statutes on the use of lethal force had provisions on accountability mechanisms.

Amnesty also considered available statistical data, including from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FBI Uniform Crime Reports to compile its report.

Currently, the US lacks comprehensive national statistics tracking deaths or injuries at the hands of the police.

Approximately 400 to 1,000 people are estimated to be killed annually by law enforcement across the country, with African Americans as the prime targets.

The African American population of the US is 13% but makes up 27% of those killed by law enforcement.

Amnesty has called the US Justice Department to collect and publish statistics and data on police shootings and to sort the data by race, gender, age, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity and indigenous status.