News headlines in 2017 were primarily dominated by coverage of President Donald Trump’s administration and tense party politics. But while most of the attention was focused on the president’s antics, officers in police departments around the country killed over 1,000 civilians.
According to the database Mapping Police Violence, police have killed 1,129 people this year in the U.S., which was similar to the number of killings in previous years. According to the Washington Post’s police shooting tracker, officers fatally shot 976 people this year. In 2016, police shot and killed 963 people, and in 2015, officers fatally shot 995 people. Black people were disproportionately affected, as they made up 25 percent of those killed, despite making up only 13 percent of the population. Sixty-eight of those killed by police this year were unarmed.
Out of the 1,000 people who died at the hands of police, several received high-profile coverage in the media. In June, Tommy Le was shot and killed by deputies in Washington state hours before his high school graduation. The deputies initially claimed Le was holding a knife or other sharp object, but investigators […]
“Police murdered over 1,000 people…”??? Stephan, you ought to be embarrassed. You are essentially saying that no use of lethal force by a police officer is justified. That’s patently ridiculous, and an insult to the many thousands of conscientious police officers around our nation that serve faithfully, even to the point of having to kill someone. Are there “bad” killings by police that constitute murder? Some. But the vast majority are not.
This notion that police “Murder” people is absolutely wrong. Daily they are confronted by violent criminals, many armed with more firepower than the police. The truth is that there are many millions of contacts between law enforcement and the citizens of the country. The number that end in arrest, detention are very, very small. The number that end up fatally is far smaller yet. When comparing American police with other countries you failed to account for the comparative rate of gun ownership
There is a very good reason we we refer to law enforcement officers as a police FORCE. They are charged with the duty of being the threat of force or the actual use of force against citizens, because after all government is at its base force. The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that police officers at all levels of the government have no duty to protect the citizens of this country. The government does NOT have the right to take the life of any person. However, we live in an authoritarian police state in which the government can and does take the lives of individuals. I am with Stephan on this issue. We have been brainwashed into thinking police are there to serve and protect but the reality is not so.
Being a white folk I can understand Paul and John’s posts. My experience with police has been good and I would tend to agree with both regarding the police. But there is a problem that has been documented by many videos and reliable news reports that show too many police are fearful, inexperienced and too quick to use force when a less aggressive presence would be more effective. Militarization of the police is a pattern across the country. And yes I agree with Mark that we live in a police state that has convinced the majority that we don’t…very clever…”was that a bing? gotta check the phone…”
Well said Will. I understand where Paul and John are coming from. There are many many fine police officers who do their job with compassionate and service and without physical violence. They should get full credit for their work. However, both good and bad officers are working within the framework of a soft police state. Their job ultimately is to use the threat of force or actual force to compel citizens to obey government rules and regulations set forth by technocrats and (s)elected officials. Officers do have the right to defend their own life and there are bad guys with weapons who are indeed dangerous. However, the vast majority of interactions are with peaceful people. Statistically, police work is not the most dangerous job in the united states – the injury and fatality rate of police officers has been going down for years. A little research will show this is the case. The force used in no-knock SWAT raids and in traffic stops are often with no justification whatsoever. Militarization of the police is here and it results in people being killed for no cause.