The list below shows sworn police officers who have died whilst on duty:[7] The force has received national attention for the unlawful killing of over 90 people in the Hillsborough Disaster,[8][9] and the failure to investigate of child sex abuse in the Rotherham scandal in the 2000s.

[14] The Hillsborough Independent Panel had exposed the way in which the force had attempted to divert blame from their own mishandling of the tragedy by feeding false information to the media and altering statements given by their own officers.

In June 2013, UK newspaper The Guardian reported on emails sent by Crompton in which he had suggested that the families of fans killed at the Hillsborough disaster had been untruthful.

"[15] On 27 April 2016, it was reported that the force's Chief Constable David Crompton was to be suspended following statements made by South Yorkshire Police after the verdict of the jury in the second Hillsborough disaster inquest.

[17] The force's judgement has been called into question over a number of incidents in the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal, where prosecutions were not undertaken.

An unnamed chief inspector had told the investigation that the force had been aware of similar abuse for 30 years but had ignored it for fear of increasing racial tensions.

[19][20] In July 2020 the Independent Office of Police Conduct again considered the force's response in relation to the death of Amy-Leanne Stringfellow.

Four of the men denied charges of misconduct in a public office and were due to stand trial at Sheffield Crown Court on 17 July 2017.

In that month it was transferred to the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner and then the PCC's responsibilities were merged into the mayor's role in May 2024.