More Orlando police officers were injured and fewer suspects were hurt during use of force incidents last year than the year before, according to police officials.

But fewer suspects injured in incidents last year, Mina says

More Orlando police officers were injured and fewer suspects were hurt during use of force incidents last year than 2015, Chief John Mina said Wednesday.

There were 77 officers injured after use of force incidents, an increase from 2015 of about 7 percent, Mina said.

About 200 suspects were hurt last year, which was a decrease of about 13 percent from the previous year, Mina said during a presentation to the Citizens’ Police Review Board.

Most of the injuries, Mina said, did not require medical treatment.

Mina said one reason for the increase in officers’ injuries may be because they are being enOfficers couraged by their superiors to report them for the city’s liability insurance. The injuries could also be more serious, he said.

He said fewer suspects were injured because officers are using pepper spray or a Taser more often than high-impact weapons, like batons.

“I think the positive is that we are continuing to see a decrease in those techniques that are more likely to cause injury,” he said.

Mina touted the overall 23 percent decrease in use of force cases last year. They used force about 400 times.

“We’re very, very proud of that number,” he said.

Officers used pepper spray about 170 times and Tasers more than 150 times, Mina said.

They also used tackles or take downs 160 times.

used those three tools for about 75 percent of the incidents of using force.

More forceful weapons, like batons, were only used three times, he said. Officers punched or kicked people 88 times, while using the K-9 unit 21 times, Mina reported.

All use of force tools but punches, kicks and stop sticks were used more in 2015 than last year.

About a third of all force incidents happened downtown between midnight and 3 a.m. on weekends.

Board member Calia Coleman said more officers in the downtown area should be wearing body cameras.

“So if a third of the incidents happen downtown, why

wouldn’t a third of the cameras go downtown?” Calia asked.

Mina said the first 50 cameras, set to go out later this month, will be spread around the department to patrol officers. He also said the city has cameras on the street that can capture incidents.

Orlando police started the process to get more body cameras in 2015, but the rollout has been delayed several times because of issues with the bidding process.

Mina said dashcam units mounted on patrol cars will eventually be phased out in favor of body cams.

Mina also noted that only 3 percent of arrests resulted in force being used.

An Orlando Sentinel investigation in 2015 found OPD has used force about 5.6 percent of the time between 2010-2014, which was more often than other departments in similarly-sized cities.

A follow-up report showed the department’s use of force declined the following year, using force in 4.85 percent of its arrests in 2015, as counted by the FBI in its Uniform Crime Report data.

The Orlando Police Department and the police union dispute those numbers because it arrested more people than what the FBI counts as part of its Uniform Crime Report data. It said it used force in 3.5 percent of arrests in 2015.

FBI numbers for 2016 have not been released.

Mina also said Wednesday it’s unfair to compare departments because they count force incidents differently and have different police practices.

No officers were found to have used excessive force in 2016, he said. There also have been no lawsuits against the department for excessive force or false arrest in the last six months, Mina said.

The presentation did not include the eight officer-involved shootings in 2016.