Laws governing police use of lethal force in the United States do not comply with international regulations, according to a new report released on Thursday by Amnesty International, a human rights advocacy group.
The report, titled "Deadly Force: Police Use of Lethal Force In The United States," comes amid a stream of high-profile police killings of minority people in America. It says that no state in the U.S. meets international regulations when it comes to governing when it is appropriate for police to take a life.
"Amnesty International reviewed US state laws--where they exist--governing the use of lethal force by law enforcement officials and found that they all fail to comply with international law and standards," the report states. "Many of them do not even meet the less stringent standard set by U.S. constitutional law."
The report's authors found that some U.S. laws allow police to kill "to suppress opposition to an arrest," or to "suppress a riot or mutiny." Washington, D.C. and nine states simply don't have laws governing police use of lethal force.
The report also questions how police killings are reviewed after they happen.
"The officer’s own police agency usually conducts the investigation before handing the case over to the local prosecutor for review," the report states.
Local prosecutors often have to maintain good relationships with local law enforcement, making many question whether they should be allowed to review what led to a police use of lethal force. The report questions this method of oversight.