Explore The Data

What is currently included in the data set:

This data set currently includes killings and deaths following intentional police use of force. The data set includes police shootings that resulted in death, and instances where a person died after being subjected to other types of police weapons (e.g., tasers, batons), physical interventions (e.g., physical holds, punches), or environmental forces as a result of police conduct (e.g., fatal car chases).

To be included in our current data set, four primary criteria need to be met:

1. Someone was killed;
2. On-duty police officer(s) used force;
3. The killing or death occurred in Canada;
4. The killing or death occurred as of the year 2000.

• New cases are identified via a series of google alerts and regular and ongoing online searches for past and current police killings and deaths. All the information in this data set is collected from publicly available sources, including government reports, press releases and accredited Canadian media sources.

• When a new case is identified, a member of our team adds information about the case into a spreadsheet based on the variables we collect. We only add information into the spreadsheet from either government sources, oversight body sources, or accredited media sources.

• A summary of the findings relevant to each variable is then subject to a verification process. To learn about how we determine information for each variable, see our data dictionary.

• Verification occurs by a second member of our team, who independently confirms that the information is an accurate summary of what is included from the credible sources. To confirm information, we again search for online credible sources.

• Once a case is verified, it is added into the data set, and is then made available on the Tracking (In)Justice website. We try to do this in a timely way – although there may be a lag between when a case is first identified and when it is added into the online data set.

• We also regularly conduct online searches to identify new pieces of information as they emerge. If a case identified is based on a recent police-involved killing or death, initially there may be very limited information available. When new details are identified, they also go through our verification process, and are then added into the online data set.

We recognize that what we identify as credible sources may not provide the entire context and may be biased. Sometimes what the media or government present as ‘facts’ are contested or are entirely incorrect. We accept this as a limitation of the project as it currently stands and offer ways to correct data here.

We are also working to consult families and communities to help identify ways to understand the limitations of the current data, and examine ways it can be better presented, analyzed, or identified as incorrect and biased.

Our process results in many unknowns in the data. These unknowns are a limitation, but also a symbol of gaps in data and the need for greater transparency from policing agencies and oversight bodies.

The variables associated with the Tracking (in)Justice data set that provide specific information about every recorded case:

• Name
• Date: Date of death
• Age: Age at time of death
• Gender: see variables dictionary for more details
• Race: see variables dictionary for more details
• Province or territory: Province or Territory that incident occurred in
• Police Service: Police Service involved in incident
• Highest level of force used: The highest level of police force used in the incident

Some of the variables are straightforward (such as date of death and age), while others are more complex and require further explanation and examination (such as gender and race). Please consult the Data Dictionary and Verification Process for further information about each variable.

We are working to expand variables to include accurate information related to if the victim was in crisis and if the victim was alleged to be armed. Future iterations of our data set will include this information.

The process of collecting and counting police-involved killings and deaths is political and so is the language we use to describe these cases. We rely on a combination of media and government sources. In the media, the use of the term “police-involved death” has been critiqued for a series of reasons, including using a passive voice, which may “obfuscate responsibility for police killings compared to civilian homicides.”

However, the fact that an individual is included in this data set does not necessarily mean that police caused the individual’s death. Although individuals in the data set did die as a direct result of the police use of force, confirming an official cause of death is beyond the scope of this project.

As a result, inclusion in the database does not necessarily mean the death was a killing where there is a causal link between the type of force used and the individual’s death. To acknowledge this, we currently use the term police-involved death.

We define a police-involved death as either a civilian death that directly resulted from police use of force or that occurred in the context of police operations, where police force may have been used but where there may not be a direct link between the force used and the death.

We know that language adapts and changes over time and we are working to ensure that we use the most accurate and specific language to explain these deaths as we can.

Due to the current focus of the data on deaths where direct force was used, most of the deaths in this data will be police-involved killings. As we expand this data set, there will be more police-involved deaths included in the data set.

This project used the CBC deadly force database as a starting point. CBC’s data covers the year 2000 to 2020.

The CBC first reported their data in 2017, and then again in 2020. While initially the CBC did not make all their data public, they shared information with Pivot Legal Society, who, along with the CBC, developed an analysis of the data. At that time the data included location information. In 2020, the CBC made their data set available to the public for a brief period without location information.

The CBC data includes 555 cases. Most of the entries in our data set from the year 2000 to 2020 originate from the CBC data.

The CBC data has been critiqued for lacking a transparent methodology. Additionally, policing scholars have noted that while certain practices in the collection of data by the CBC data meet journalistic standards, they may not meet scholarly research standards.

• Where there was unknown information about race in the CBC data, our team examined each case to see if we could find more information. This included searching the websites of policing agencies, oversight bodies, and accredited media sources. Tracking (In)Justice has decided not to independently assign race to an individual by looking at photographs or examining their name or location. Much of the unknown race data remains unknown.
• We conducted independent internet searches to identify cases missed by the CBC. Because there is limited data available online about past police-involved killings and deaths, identifying new cases was limited. For example, the Ontario Special Investigations Unit, only posts information about police-involved killings and deaths as media releases since 2015, whereas the Independent Investigations Office in British Columbia only posts information online since 2012. Information in these provinces prior to these dates is hard to come by.
• We reviewed cases in the CBC data to ensure they met our inclusion criteria. In rare instances, we removed cases because they did not meet our inclusion criteria related to police use of force. As we expand our data set to include all deaths that occur during police operations or in custody, it is likely that any removed cases will be re-included. 
• This is still a work in progress, and we are continually examining the data to look for gaps and improve quality and rigour. We will update this methodology as we improve our work.

Expanding the data set: We are working to expand the data set to include all police-involved killings and deaths that occur regardless of use of force, as well as deaths in custody, including in police custody, in jails, prisons, immigration detention, or forensic psychiatry centres, and other carceral settings across Canada. We plan on conducting further research beyond internet searches, including using access to information requests, to expand what is accessible and known in the past about police-involved killings and deaths.

Help us improve the data: Our methodology is a work in progress. Due to the limits of what is possible with relying on inconsistent media and government sources, we aim to be as transparent about our process as possible. We welcome collaboration and insight to improve our methods and data on deaths and killings by police and in custody across Canada. Please get in touch with us to help improve the data set or submit new entries of missing cases.

Tracking (In)Justice: A Living Data Set Tracking Canadian Police-Involved Deaths. (2022). Data and Justice Criminology Lab, Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Carleton University; The Centre for Research & Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (The CRIB), at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto; Canadian Civil Liberties Association; Ethics and Technology Lab, Queen's University.