The effect of police violence on Black Americans’ health is documented in 2 new studies

By CARLA K. JOHNSON
AP Medical Writer

Two new studies track the effect of police violence on Black Americans. One study ties police-involved deaths to sleep disturbances. The other finds a racial gap in injuries involving police use of Tasers and other energy weapons. Both research papers appear in JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers found sleep disturbances among Black people — but not among white people — in the six months following a police-involved killing. Other researchers analyzed data on injuries involving police use of weapons such as Tasers. Nearly 36% of those injuries were among Black people, far above their share of the U.S. population.