BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 27: A Baltimore Police officer aims his taser at a demonstrator outside the Mondawmin Mall following the funeral of Freddie Gray April 27, 2015, in Baltimore, Maryland. Gray, 25, who was arrested for possessing a switchblade knife April 12 outside the Gilmor Homes housing project on Baltimore’s west side. According to his attorney, Gray died a week later in the hospital from a severe spinal cord injury he received while in police custody. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Every time police officers are accused of killing a civilian — whether an officer shoots an unarmed man, as in the cases of Michael Brown, or an officer’s actions cause someone to die, as in the cases of Eric Garner or Freddie Gray — there are two questions that arise: Was it legal? and Was it appropriate? Often, what the public sees as appropriate force differs greatly from what police actually do in these situations (Lind, 2015).
The law gives police incredibly wide latitude to use force against civilians if they feel they’re under threat. In theory, it’s the job of police departments to come up with policies that hold cops to a higher standard for using force. And departments do give officers general instructions about using no more force than is necessary to resolve a situation, and trying to de-escalate situations before they turn into crises (Lind, 2015).
But when it comes to specifics — the training that officers are given and the policies they’re held to — departments don’t give clear instructions for what officers ought to do. Instead, for a variety of reasons, instructions focus on what cops can do. That creates a divide between police actions and the public’s perception of what is necessary or appropriate. And police officers themselves tend to feel that they should have even more flexibility in deciding when to use force, and how much force they can use, on civilians (Lind, 2015).
New Study on Police Use of Force
A new study has found that police kill twice as many people as reported in official statistics, and that black men are 3 1/2 times more likely to be killed by police than white men. The study, carried out by the University of Washington and Cornell University, used a variety of data sources and found that police officers are responsible for about 8 percent of all homicides of adult males in the United States – or about 2.8 homicides every day on average. However, official statistics released by the police departments themselves show a rate of less than 4 percent.
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, also shows that the risk of being killed by police is 3.2 to 3.5 times higher for black men than white men, and between 1.4 and 1.7 times higher for Latino men.
Researchers determined these probabilities with six years’ worth of data from a source that collects information from journalists, activists and researchers through public records and media coverage. This method is more reliable than police departments’ own reports, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. The study was led by Frank Edwards, a postdoctoral associate with Cornell’s Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research and co-authored by Michael Esposito, who did this work as a graduate student in sociology at the University of Washington. Hedy Lee, a former faculty member in the UW Department of Sociology who is now at Washington University in St. Louis, also contributed to the study.
Past research on police killings has been limited by the absence of systematic data, Edwards said. Such data, primarily collected through the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Arrest-Related Deaths program or the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Report, are widely acknowledged as unreliable due to the limited scope and voluntary data reporting.
“Police departments are not required by law to report deaths that occur due to officer action and may have strong incentives to be sensitive with data due to public affairs and community relations,” he said. “Effectively, we don’t know what’s happening if all we look at is the official data.”
Esposito, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan, points to a 2014 article in ProPublica, which showed how some communities had not reported fatal shootings by police since 1997.
“Our ability to speak about police-involved deaths in the U.S. has really been hampered by shortcomings of official data sources,” he said. “We thought we could make a contribution here by just describing what police-involved homicides look like in our country.”
Eric Casebolt, a police officer from McKinney, Texas, wrestles a 14-year-old girl to the ground at pool party.
Research Methods & Findings
For the study, the researchers used public records and media reports to identify 6,295 adult male victims of police homicide over a six-year period between Jan. 1, 2012, and Feb. 12, 2018 — averaging about 1,028 deaths per year, or 2.8 deaths per day.
Of those 6,295 victims, 2,993 were white, 1,779 were black, 1,145 were Latino, 114 were Asian-Pacific Islander and 94 were American Indian-Alaska Native.
During the six-year period of the study, black men were killed at the highest rate: at least 2.1 per 100,000 men. Latino and white men had lower rates: 1 and 0.6, respectively.
In the Pacific region, which includes Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, black men in large metro areas were killed by police at a rate of 3.4 per 100,000, Latino men at 1.1 per 100,000, and white men at 0.9 per 100,000.
In Washington state, an average of a little more than three black men per 100,000 people are killed by police each year, compared to an average of about one per 100,000 among Latino men and fewer than one per 100,000 among white men.
Another surprising finding of the study was that the majority of police killings occur in less-populated regions outside large urban metro areas.
“I think that there’s an idea that these events are constrained to large urban areas, but the data suggest that’s not the case,” Esposito said.
Policy Brutality is Good for Wall Street
When police use of force crosses the line into outright brutality, it is not only the victim who suffers – taxpayers are also paying a price. As the costs of police misconduct rise, cities and counties across the United States are going into debt to pay for it. Often this debt is in the form of bond borrowing. When cities, municipalities, or counties issue bonds to pay these costs, banks and other firms collect fees for the services they provide, and investors collect interest.
In light of this, the use of bonds to pay for settlements and judgments greatly increases the burden of policing costs on taxpayers, while producing a profit for banks and investors. Using bonds to pay for settlements or judgments can nearly double the costs of the original settlement. All of this is paid for by taxpayers.
These police brutality bonds quite literally allow banks and wealthy investors to profit from police violence. This is a transfer of wealth from communities–especially over-policed communities of color–to Wall Street and wealthy investors. This is not a good public policy; it’s not good for citizens and it’s not good for cops, who lose respect in their communities and find their jobs are made more difficult and dangerous. Aside from it being morally wrong, these violent practices need to stop because they hurt everyone.
Sources
KOMO News, Staff Report
“How Do Police Departments Train Cops How to Use Force?” Vox Media article by Dara Lind, 2015.
“How Wall Street Profits From Police Violence,” ACRE Report, by Alyxandra Goodwin, Whitney Shepard, and Carrie Sloan
Discussion Questions
What do you think about the statistics cited here?
Do you think that the police should be required to report use of force against the civilians (especially killings) to the UCR the same way that they report incidents of violence against police officers?
What do you think about taxpayers footing the bill for police violence? What might be done to change this?
After reading this article Yes, I think that the police should be required to report the use of force against civilians to the UCR in the same way that they report incidents of violence against police officers. As of right now, we are not getting the full report on the use of force against civilians. Given the high number of violent incidents involving the police, it’s only fair they should be required to report police actions. This would give us a better understanding of what happens during police interactions. If all cases were reported, the amount of police violence against non-white people might be even higher than what we are currently seeing. What shocked me the most was seeing the police officer wrestling with a 14-year-old girl that was unprofessional from the officer there was no need for him to use force on a 14-year-old girl the officer could’ve handled it in a different situation for example creating small talk and calming the situation. This problem is happening because police departments provide officers with poor training. In my opinion, I believe the police should go through more training that doesn’t rely on using physical force and similar tactics. They should be trained in how to de-escalate situations. If these tactics were used more often, it could change the current statistics.
The statistics in your research were astonishing. I think the statistic that stood out the most was that cops are responsible for 8% of all homicides in the United States. I think this shows the lack of accountability by not just police officers but the judicial system itself. If they are responsible for so many deaths, we have to hold them to a higher standard. One of the main ways I believe we can fix this is longer and more extensive training when it comes to use of force. The academy can implement multiple scenarios when it is appropriate and when it is not, to use deadly force. We do know that things escalate quickly, but its important for officers to think clearly and use what they were taught in training in potentially dangerous situations. I believe that deaths should be reported to achieve more accurate data. If the data already shows us a lopsided use of force, particularity against African Americans, we can take appropriate measures in the future to reduce these numbers. It is surprising to see that taxpayers take a hit when police brutality occurs, but its tough to tell how we can change this. Like I mentioned earlier, better training could help reduce police brutality, ultimately leading to less tax dollars being spent. Being more stingy in the hiring process and who is a right fit to be a police officer would also be another good solution to reduce these numbers, however, being a police officer has become way less of an attractive job over the years, so that might be difficult to change.
When it comes to the issue of taxpayers footing the bill for police violence, it is a genuine concern to the public. When settlements for police conduct or violence are paid out, they are coming from public funds. This is falling on taxpayers having to pay for these settlements and it is really unfair when it comes down to the premises of it. This does not hold the officers responsible as well as not holding the officers accountable for their direct actions. This is a major concern. One way that can change how this results is by the police having a liability insurance. This would require officers to carry personal insurance with them. Officers who would be involved in police violence or misconduct would face higher premiums and would impact them financially. This takes the responsibility out of the taxpayers hands. It would also not make them feel accountable for someone else’s actions. This would be able to resolve the problem of taxpayers paying for police violence or misconduct. I believe fully that officers should be held accountable for their actions no matter the circumstance. The public should not have to face the consequences of mistakes they did not cause.
The stats in this article are very upsetting, but not surprising. The brutality and killings that come from police officers are often recognized, but nothing ever changes. It is just cruel how officers will treat individuals differently based on their race and ethnicity. The fact that black males are 3.5% more likely to get killed by police than other races is absolutely disgusting and the officers are rarely even held accountable for it. It’s become so normal and no one of the upper power is batting an eye.
I feel like even if they were to report force against civilians , it would just be their words against the Bystander and it still wouldn’t make much of a difference. It like even if it was required, would they actual do it or would just deny and if civilians report them, what if the officer just blackmails and denies the accusation because who are they more likely to believe.
Something that can help to change is give a lot more training especially when it comes to violence and there should be a some kind of restriction on who can become a police officer because nowadays pretty much everyone can become one and the results of that are never positive. Since police departments are already funded by taxpayers, the department should be the one held accountable for all the violence and costs instead of the community.
The statistics mentioned in the article are eye opening and sadly not surprising. Discovering that law enforcement officers are responsible for twice the number of deaths reported is concerning and emphasizes the urgent need for increased transparency. The fact that Black and Latino men are at a greater risk than white men is troubling. These statistics point out significant problems in the way law enforcement functions and clearly indicate the need for policy and training reforms to ensure fairness for all.
I 100% believe that police should be required to report use of force incidents to the UCR, just as they do for violence against officers. It all comes down to being responsible and ensuring we have a solid understanding of what is going on. This type of reporting could shed light on police actions and potentially result in significant changes to officer training and community interactions.
I don’t think its fair that the repercussions of police misconduct have to be covered by taxpayers. It seems unjust and increases the load on communities, especially when those funds could be used for more beneficial purposes. One possible way to address this issue is by requiring police departments to be financially accountable for their behavior, possibly through an insurance system. Also, having resources put towards improved training and community oriented policing may aid in preventing such incidents from occurring initially.
I think that police should not report force against citizens the way they do violence against officers. When it comes to other officers, the police would have no problem painting a citizen as in the wrong because that is their fellow officer. Exactly why they should not report force against citizens. They are going to paint the citizens in the wrong even if the police were in the wrong. Then once the report is made. It is going to be a “he said, she said” story. Never knowing who to trust because both sides are going to have witnesses saying the other was in the wrong. And what cop wouldn’t trust another cop? If the police made the reports, almost no cops would go down for the violence that they are showing towards citizens. Another part of this post that was crazy is the fact that taxpayers foot the bill for police violence. The fact that the people they are hurting are the ones paying for the outcomes of the violence is outrageous. Something that could be done to change this is to take it out of the department fund or out of that cops paycheck directly. If it were taken out of the department’s fund, the department would not second guess keeping someone is too aggressive. And if it came out of their paycheck, they would think twice about being violent when unnecessary because they most likely would not be able to afford losing money like that.
Police use of excessive force is something that needs to be talked about more widely. It’s clear that they aren’t trained enough to handle high-stress situations they train not but even when they aren’t in a high-stress situation like in the article a grown adult cop wrestled a 14-year-old child to the ground. There is no reason for him to put this much force in this situation no one’s life was at risk, and he chose to do such a thing.
Reading through this article as a black American it’s sad that in this day and age, it is way too common to see a police officer using excessive force on civilians especially if you are a person of color, being black in America is your biggest crime. If we look at the statistics being 3x more likely to be killed by the police compared to a white person is an obvious problem but ignorant people will still tell you that it’s false or that they should “stop resisting” when the victim isn’t at fault. Black men are killed by the majority and they blame “black on black crime” when that’s just a crime. They blame other black people instead of actually looking up statistics and educating themselves. This is a topic I feel very strongly about because it needs to be talked about more. From January 1st, 2012, to February 12, on average 2.8 black men were killed. Even though this is from a decade ago imagine what the numbers are now imagine how many innocent people lost their lives from these people
Reading this post is just a reminder of how badly we let things go down too without changing anything! it’s sad yes but is it really shocking? we have learned to just live with it and act like it’s okay. The statistics from the study were really disappointing when it revealed a lot about the current state of policing in the U.S. It’s alarming to learn that police kill twice as many people as we’ve been led to believe through official reports. The fact that Black men are 3.5 times more likely to be killed by police compared to white men is very messed up and troubling, and it definitely shows that society still faces racism. This clearly points to serious systemic issues that need to be addressed urgently. I strongly believe that police departments should be required to report all use of force incidents, especially killings, to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. Just like they report incidents of violence against police officers, they should have to do the same for their interactions with civilians. This kind of transparency is essential for holding police accountable and rebuilding trust in communities that often feel targeted.
It’s also really concerning that taxpayers are the ones footing the bill for police violence. It feels incredibly unfair, especially for marginalized communities that are already facing numerous challenges.
Police officers should be more trained, and not everyone should be offered this job, it’s very surprising to me how easily anyone could become one and it’s disappointing because this makes sense as to why they decided not to report the use of force against civilians, but at the end of the day these issues reflect deeper problems within the policing system, and addressing them is crucial for fostering a safer and more just society for everyone.
After reading this article and looking at the statistics provided, unfortunately they did not surprise me too much. As many know the United States has a very serious issue with racism throughout communities. In the article one statistic that is shown is that black males are 3 ½ times more likely to be killed by police than white men. To me this is completely insane and just really shows that the police seem to target black men more than white. Another statistic is between January 1st 2012 and February 12th 2018, 6,295 adult males were victims of police homicide. This averages out to 1,028 deaths per year and 2.8 deaths per day. Out of the 6,295 victims 2,993 were white, 1,779 were black, 1,145 were Latino, 114 were Asian Pacific Islander, and 94 were American Indian-Alaskan native. For this statistic white males were the leader in police homicide with African Americans in second. Which made me think since it also said that during those six years black men were killed at the highest rate which was about 2.1 out of 100,000 men. Overall, these statistics do say something and it shows that black men are targeted and killed by police because of a multitude of factors such as ethnicity, who they associate themselves with, where they live.
On this website there were many statistics that were not only very eye opening, but shocking to know were true. One of these statistics was that police officers are responsible for 8% of homicides on adult males, which is 2.8 homicides on average in a day. This was their most shocking to me because imagining a force that is not supposed to shoot in general unless they or the public are in danger, but what really makes this uneasy is the fact that police departments release statistics showing this percentage to be at around or less than 4. This proves how awful and unjustifiable it is for police to kill this many adult males, so departments have to lie. This leads me to believe that officers should have to report use of force against civilians the same way they report civilians use force on them. Not doing this points a blind spot in what police officers are doing wrongfully. If police departments release wrong data to make themselves look better, it would make logical sense to force them to collect true data and display this to the public. When departments refuse to believe real data, they only make the problems worse instead of bettering themselves.
Looking through the article there were a large number of statistics thrown in throughout that would catch the attention of the reader. Yet one statistic among all the others stuck out more to me than rest. The article states that the chance that a black man is killed by police is 3.2% – 3.5% higher when compared to the chances of a white person being killed by police. This statistic frankly disgusts me and is unacceptable being a prime example of officers treating some citizens of different races or ethnicities unequally and carrying an implicit bias within themselves. Police officers should be held to the highest standards in society as they are in situations every single day where they have the power to damage people physically or even worse murder them, so it is crucial for these people in these positions to have the ability to look past their own bias and treat everyone with respect. An example of an officer taking this power too far is directly addressed in the text with the case of Freddie Gray. Where an officer gave Mr. Gray suffered a severe spinal cord injury while in police custody that later resulted in his death. While the officers should always keep themselves and the surrounding citizens safe when presented in the threat of danger they should also always keep themselves in check and not get extra aggressive with suspects when detaining them. Especially in cases where the suspect is already in handcuffs and no longer presents a viable threat against any of the surrounding people.
The stats are clear: police kill twice as many people as reported, and Black men are 3.5 times more likely to be killed than white men. That’s a huge racial disparity and a serious issue.
Police absolutely should be required to report all uses of force, especially killings, just like they report violence against officers. Right now, the reporting is optional, which means we’re not getting the full picture of what’s going on. Mandatory reporting would help fix that.
It’s unfair that taxpayers have to cover the cost of police misconduct through settlements, and cities even take on debt to pay these off. This lets banks and investors make money off of police violence while communities suffer. It’s wrong. Police departments, not taxpayers, should be held accountable for these costs. If cops knew they or their departments would have to pay, they might think twice before using excessive force.
All the statistics found in this website post were incredibly sad to read about, but very informative. I find it insane that between January 1st, 2012, and February 12th, 2018, the average amount of deaths cause by police per day were 2.8 people. That is almost 3 people per day that should be dying due to natural causes, but instead they are being killed by police officers. Every police killing is different which means that some police officers may have been threatened with a weapon, or maybe the cop killed someone without any justified reason. This could also be why police shootings are not reported. I believe that any police shootings should be reported to make sure that all police officers go under excessive evaluation after the shooting occurred. This could prevent further corruption in the police department by getting rid of the “bad cops”. It did not surprise me that the risk of being killed by police is 3.2-3.5 times higher for black men than white men, because most interactions between the police and citizens on the news are normally between police officers and black men. Another point I want to make is that it is sickening to see investors get rich off of bad officers going to jail. Taxpayers will have to pay more for a police officer to get out of jail which is a sad standard which we live to now. The citizens are not responsible for paying for an officer’s bad actions, but the police department itself should take responsibility for hiring a destructive officer. The banks and investors need to take responsibility and not bank off the interest from these bonds. Police officers as well as investors need to do a better job providing for the better good of society rather than for themselves.
Out of the many statistics listed here, one of the main ones that stood out to me was when the article said that the risk of being killed by police is about higher for black men and about 2 times higher for Latino men than white men to be murdered by the police. Being a black man in this country, it makes me wonder whether those who are supposed to protect us are really our enemies instead. The example in the article about the 14-year-old being pushed down to the ground at a pool party for no reasonable explanation at all is the perfect example of how the police look at those with a darker skin tone. In a country that is said to be equal feeling more like a battlefield as each day goes by.
I think that the police should be required to report use of force against the civilians to the UCR the same way that they report incidents of violence against police officers. With so many violent encounters caused by police, it is only fair that they report what they did. Furthermore, we can be given a better understanding of what is occurring at police stops and encounters. To imagine if reported, the number of police violence against non-white people could be greater than what it already stands at.
I personally do not believe that most police force is appropriate, the only exception I believe is when police officers feel as if they are under real threat, typically with weapons. With the way it has been going lately I believe that the police force arent using appropriate force because the police departments only care about numbers and not the incident presented to them. Another reason I feel this problem is happening is because the police departments and academes give these police officers such little training when it comes to dealing with situations that have to do with using force. While looking at the research in this article it also has a lot to do with race and gender. Looking at the new study police kill twice as many people as reported in official statistics, and that African men are 3 times more likely to be killed by police than white men and 8 percent of the homicides of adult men in the United States.
When I was looking through this article and the statistics, I find it very intriguing but not surprising. People love saying its black on black crime and other violent people killing one another. It is not a surprise tho that black men are 3 times more likely to be killed by police. With everything that has been happening in our present day. But this article states that it is 3.2 to 3.5 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than a black or white man also that the police are responsible for about 8 percent of all homicides of adult males in the United States. One thing that interest me was the stats didn’t show as much information on females. Also with all this training police go through they should know how to act and not go to killing another human unless they absolutely need to. It is also crazy to me that these stats are not fully accurate. The article says that police killed twice as many people than what was reported in the official stats. In my opinion, that should never happen all incidents should be reported no matter what. The fact that you cant count on the police and the government to have reliable information is scary and makes them even more untrustworthy. This is another example of how badly corruption is within the policing system and needs to change. As we discussed in class the only way for things to change is for people that want to come and seek a change.
While going through this article and the statistics, I find it very interesting but not surprising. People love saying its black on black crime and other violent people killing one another. It is not a surprise tho that black men are 3 times more likely to be killed by police. With everything that has been happening in our present day. But this article states that it is 3.2 to 3.5 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than a black or white man also that the police are responsible for about 8 percent of all homicides of adult males in the United States. One thing that interest me was the stats didn’t show as much information on females. Also with all this training police go through they should know how to act and not go to killing another human unless they absolutely need to. It is also crazy to me that these stats are not fully accurate. The article says that police killed twice as many people than what was reported in the official stats. In my opinion, that should never happen all incidents should be reported no matter what. The fact that news outlets and online sources have become more reliable with this information is truly upsetting. This is another example of how badly corruption is within the policing system and needs to change. As we discussed in class the only way for things to change is for people that want to come and seek a change.
I do not understand why some people are “shocked” or why they feel that certain tactics that U.S. police use are “inappropriate” and “unimaginable” in this day and age. The police force was built based on disciplining a peoples (mainly people of African descent) by whatever means necessary. When the peonage laws existed, prisoners were forced to work the chain gang in chains and were beaten anytime they acted “out of line”. During the Civil Rights Movement era, law enforcement and special forces used dogs, water hoses, batons; they forcefully threw civilians into police vans, they raided peoples’ homes, and they threw used force (i.e. threw people around, beat people, punched, etc.). When jook joints were first created, they rough housed some Black attendees in order to bring order to the towns. It is also a well-known fact that a lot of law enforcement officers were KKK affiliated or associated with members of the KKK. During slavery, slave holders felt more obligated to treat their slaves “better” so that their “property” did not die and they did not loose out on profits. Once slavery ended, it did not matter if Black people died after they suffered harsh conditions at the hands of their employers or an officer. Furthermore, police officers are trained to shoot to kill and on how to wrestle people to the ground. They are rarely ever disciplined because their principles are built around force. I much like how many people educate themselves with politics so that they can become politicians and create policies based on things they’re patient about, police reform should start with officers in training who want to make a change.
Reading through this article and going through the statistics shows that black men are three and a half times more likely to be killed by police than white men. The statistics that show that about 8 percent of all adult male homicides are by police officers is absolutely crazy but not surprising.The statistics show that white men are less likely to be killed my police. So those that use the argument that the only killings that are talked about are black people are not seeing the main picture. Black and white people are being killed but it is the numbers that are used that show that the numbers are significantly disproportionate. Not only black men but also Latino men are at more risk of being killed by police than white men. I think that the police should be taken through more training and the training should be not using physical force and those type of tactics. But instead learn to use de-esculation tactics like what was mentioned in this article. If this tactic is used then it could totally change the statistics a little and also just get a better rep because now police do not have a good rep to most of society.
the statistic of this reading is kind of disturbing and hard to believe when it is clearly stated that police kill twice as many that is even reported. why is it that they would keep up with the statistics of blacks killing backs but refuse to update the true statistics of policing killing. when the community may be thinking that blacks are 100% of all homicides, they would never mention how police are 8%. none of these surprises me police get away with a lot of wrongdoing as if it was a regular citizen the system would find any way possible to find us convicted. now days officers do not follow by the handbook that is even of there is a handbook to follow the follow off of the actions of officers who have been within the station for years. some officers don’t have enough sense to stand up and let a partner know that they are doing wrong instead the just follow and commit the same actions the partner is. why is i that 6 officers were let free when a black man was killed but yet instill a mass school shooting the white shooter is still alive. the statistic within this reading can really give you a better view on how the system will really put police over citizens no matter if they’ve killed somebody or not.
After reviewing the statistics, it does not surprise me that there is a statistical and implicit racial bias within police use of force and police killings, as that has become the cultural norm within the nation for what feels like a millennium. I’ve reviewed some of the academic literature myself and written about the findings on bias within the criminal justice system, and consistent with the studies reported within the website post, Black men, especially those that are young and poor, are significantly more likely to suffer from higher amounts of incarceration, and subsequent health deficits, than any other socioeconomic demographic within the U.S. (Blankenship et al., 2018; Pettit & Gutierrez, 2018; Schnittker et al., 2011; The Sentencing Project, 2021). As far as mandatory reporting is concerned, yes, I am personally of the opinion that police should be required to report their use of force, and most definitely killings, against civilians. It is extremely odd that there is a lack of oversight regarding this area of police work, as it would be expected that the police as a societal institution would be transparent to deter foul play. Moreover, what truly perplexes me is how some will defend the excessive use of force as “police doing their job right”. Nevertheless, I digress. Lastly, on the topic of the average taxpayer having to bear the burden of funding police brutality, I was not truly cognizant of the extent to which it financially burdened parts of the country. Maybe it is my naiveté, but I wish more focus was drawn to this by media outlets and others within the public, however, knowing that sensationalism drives media, it is no wonder that there is a greater focus on the controversial aspect of killing (and understandably so) than on the monetary costs. Despite this, what could be done to address this would have to involve the broadening of oversight within the criminal justice system.
This article focused on statistics and accountability within the policing systems. A very important part of information was how not only are blacks more likely to be killed, but they are also double the number of deaths on the hands of police officers. Most police stations have terrible policies when it comes to the standards of policing. This article specified on how verbal de-escalation should be a practice to turn a situation from a crisis to a fixable or deal able situation. A very eye-opening statement within this article as well was how police training teaches you what you can do instead of what you can’t do. Police can get away with murder. As we have seen in previously encountered situations. Statistics show that in every 100,000 men 2.1 blacks are killed. As a black man in the United States, you are 3.2 to 3.5 times more likely to be killed by a police officer within America. Reasons like excessive force and brutality are among the circumstances. The fact public records like journalists and newspaper articles are more trustworthy than police documentation, makes this very sad its reality. Policing is corrupt and this article is one of the many to prove this.
The statistics cited in this article are very alarming. To find out that police kill twice as many people as reported is scary, but not for me, for black men. Black men are 3 1/2 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than a white man, but that does not shock me. The public perception is young black men are found to be more targeted by police officers, which is proved in these statistics. Police are also responsible for about 2.8 homicides every day on average. It is practically expected for a police officer to murder someone every day. The news is known to use stories that sell, but now I understand why police homicides are brought up on the news time and time again. The statistics basically state that you have a higher chance at death by a police officer if you are not white. Over a six-year period, 6,295 adult males were victims of police homicides. I believe the police should be required to report all incidents of use of force no matter what the outcome. If a police officer kicks a person while on the ground, that should be kept on file and they should not be left off the hook. Especially if there is a death at the hands of a police officer, they should not be able to just walk away. If most times police use of force are not being reported, it is scary to hear the actual true statistics of what is going on in this country.
The facts presented here, in my opinion, are extremely concerning. According to recent investigations, there are twice as many police fatalities than those recorded in official statistics. According to data sources, police officers in the US are accountable for roughly 8% of all male killings. According to this report on police use of force, black men are 3 1/2 times more likely than white men to be killed by the police. According to another source, Latino men are at 1.4 to 1.7 times the chance of being killed by police compared to white men, and black men who are at 3.2 to 3.5 times the danger. More people of color are being killed than white men, which makes me wonder how many of these killings were people without weapons and whether or not the violence was simply directed towards these individuals. Researchers created statistics using data gathered over a six-year period from a source that compiles data from researchers, and this approach is more trustworthy than police agencies’ own records. I think the police should be forced to report instances of using force against people, and that failing to do so should be against the law. Since police officers have a reputation for lying and hiding their activities, we must hold them accountable and expect them to want to be honest with the public if we are to have any faith in them. When there is violence against the police, they report it, but when there is violence by police, they don’t report it.
I find the statistics presented in this article troubling, especially considering that there are studies that claim that twice as many people are killed by police as are reported in the statistics. These same studies claim that black men are more likely to be killed by an officer than white men. That Washington and Cornell Universities claim that approximately 8% of all adult male homicides in the United States are caused by police officers is a clear sign that something is wrong with the system. These officers are trained to know how to act in difficult situations and for them killing a civilian is not something that should be the last resort tells us that the problem comes from within the police departments. All of this highlights the freedom police must use force against civilians if they feel the slightest threat.
These statistics should be surprising; however, it is becoming increasingly known that police use force without consequence. This has led to a problem of trust between the police and citizens. The more cases there are of people being killed by the police or the police using force, the fewer trust people have. Because people are not going to call someone who can assault or even kill them if they have the slightest feeling of insecurity. This is wrong since police officers are meant to help and protect not create fear and distrust. I don’t think force is appropriate because it escalates to a higher and higher level. I don’t think it is all the fault of the officers as they are people who when they enter the system are told how to proceed and these practices have been going on for many years and have continued to be passed on to new generations of officers.
“What do you think about the statistics cited here”
I think the statistics cited in this article are highly alarming with the Statistics of a officer killing someone is actually double the number of what they are putting out. It’s also very alarming to see how researches from the University of Washington and Cornell University, that the police are responsible for 8% of homicides in the United States (US), which is about 2.8 murders a day. Within those murders from officers People of Color (POC) are simnifically higher to be a victim to one of these murders which is a tragedy. With a Black male being 3.2-3.5 times more likely than a White male to be killed, while Latino males are 1.4-1.7 times more likely than White males according to the American Journal of Public Health published. I think more people should be talking about the full statistic’s that the police are sctuslfly doing, but not filing them the correct way to hide killings and cases of brutality. Because in reality the numbers are probably even higher but we’re unaware of those cases due to cover ups by the police force. Which also makes you wonder how many altercations with a POC who supposedly have a weapon have been planted are more dramatized than actually happened. I remember when I was in middle school and I believe it was in South Carolina (SC) That the officer shot a young Black man who was unarmed and was not reaching for the officers fire but the officer fired then thru his gun at the now deceased young man to make it look like there was a struggle and the officer had to shoot to save him selves, luckily someone was there to actually but sadly record the deadly interaction with this young man. Without the video that probably would’ve been one of the murders that the sources stated are trying to expose.
I think the stating of the statistics are very eye opening. especially when you realize what the police is putting out doesn’t match the numbers. We realized that the reports of police brutality are high but till you actually look at the statistics only then will you see the disturbing numbers of basically hate crimes on People of Color (POC) in America by the police force.
Please review your course syllabus for guidelines on web posts:
You only need to write a total of 5 posts for this class (50 points each). All posts should be typed in the designated response (comment) field on the course website.
You must meet a minimum 250-word count to get full credit.
Your posts must also be timely (always by the first class meeting of the week). Posts later than the due date will not get full credit.
You cannot “make-up” posts at the end of the course.
Compare your writing to that of your classmates…..what do you see?
What do you think about taxpayers footing the bill for police violence? What might be done to change this?
Taxpayers’ dollars funding the service of PDs do not have a positive correlation to their performance of said services. It does not seem to add up in the sense of quality in either performance of services or the data regarding it, especially the negative aspect of it. Trust is built when there is honesty about both the positives and negatives of a situation. In this situation, there is already distrust between the public and the police (for very good reasons). Official statistics showing less than half of the reality in police homicides support this distasteful relationship, especially paired with the quote regarding the lack of value in official statistics themselves. With that all being said, why pay for ineffective service and ineffective information? While we may not directly have a choice, the first step to resolving an issue is highlighting it. In terms of policy-making, one might bring forth the requirement to contribute to all official data (like police homicide data) so the public can educate themselves properly and start to establish some sort of trust between police and the public. To me, this seems like the first step in the realm of policing to display honesty and transparency. As a member of the public, the discrepancy in true data as a resource makes it seem like true numbers are being hidden, or at least harder to uncover for the less ambitious.
I highly think that police should report use of force to the UCR, especially killings. We are aware that reports of violence and killing by police is not easy to obtain, and that we have to go about the media to find the information. A huge problem is that we do not really know how often this is occurring, statistically, because of the self-reported data. This is because police departments aren’t required to release reports of death by police.
While this is true, because of media coverage and research done, the public is somewhat aware that violence by police is a problem. Implicit bias and stereotyping can be at fault here, but also, like the article mentioned, police training is another factor. Police do not know what to do in situations they have not been trained on, as anyone would not know what to do. The problem with this is the resorting to excessive use of force or targeting a specific group of people. The statistics involving Black men being targeted and officers being responsible for 8% of homicides in adult males is extremely believable. With the boost of social media over the years, the public has physically seen, with their own eyes, this horrid discrimination and use of force. The killing of Black men gets overlooked, and White men who have just shot en masse at a school walk away with their lives. There is a lot that needs to be done in terms of the police force, and honestly, with the young generation seeing what happens when no one is around, their view of the police is not so honorable anymore.
The statistics that are mentioned in this website posting do not genuinely surprise me. Majority of the time when you see an officer accused of killing a citizen in the media, that citizen is usually a person of color. When there is a confrontation between police officers and a civilian, law enforcement agencies do not provide their officers with clear instructions on what they should do. Laws have defined a broad range of acceptable levels of force that an officer may use. According to a recent study, Black men are 3 1/2 times more likely than White men to be killed by police, which is double the number of deaths documented in official statistics. In 8% of cases involving adult male homicides in the United States, police officers are responsible. Latino men are 1.4 to 1.7 times more likely to be killed by police and Black men are 3.2 to 3.5 times more likely to be killed by police than White men. In order to perform their study, the researchers discovered 6,295 adult male victims of police homicide between January 2012 and February 2018. This equates to 2.8 deaths each day, or approximately 1,028 deaths annually. Out of 6,295 victims, 2,993 were White, 1,779 victims were Black, 1,145 victims were Latino, 114 victims were Asian-Pacific Islander, and 94 victims were American Indian/Alaska Native. Most police killings take place in sparsely populated locations outside of big urban metropolises, particularly in the Pacific region and Washington state. Sadly, the lack of systematic data has hampered previous studies on police killings, thus the number of people killed by police may be higher than previously believed.
I think that every case is different, and we should try to view each example as an individual case. But, it seems that as technology has grown, we are catching police doing immoral things way too often. I did not know that police departments were not required to report deaths that occur from police action, that is a shame, we cannot know if the stats posted are correct because of these. I would assume that they are about accurate, but we may never know. What is sad is the amount of time that we are seeing cops falsify reports and give false testimony for fellow officers that committed a crime. These cops need to be held accountable and not just placed of paid leave. We are the ones that have to pay for police mistakes, I wish this were an easy fix, but it is not. I think by holding officers legally responsible and handing out the same punishment as a civilian would get might make cops think twice before committing criminal behavior.
There are two sides to every story, whether the police officer was in the right or wrong in the situation something escelated to take it there. I will give you a hypothetical from a video that I saw on twitter. A crazed man is walking around the street with a knife, two officers have guns pointed to him, The man starts to walk towards the officers holding the knife with intent. The officers do not shoot, instead the officer puts his gun away for a non lethal method in return the man lunges at the officer and stabs his partner in the neck. after that I stopped watching, I can not handle those types of videos, the point I’m trying to make here is that everyone would have handled that situation differently. some cops would have shot the man immediately, others would have tried to reason and others would have used not Lethal methods. when you are in the heat of the moment you aren’t thinking, not that I am justifying some cops actions because I am not at all, when you have adrenaline running through you and you have to make split second decisions then I would say pick a decision and stick with it do not second guess yourself.
No, I do not believe any force the police use is appropriate, because they over do it each time. “The law gives police incredibly wide latitude to use force against civilians if they feel they are under threat” understandable, but why do police feel the need to use that as an excuse each time? I will never think police officers are using “appropriate” force, because these police departments only care about the numbers and not the incident presented to them. I also can not put full responsibility on these police officers because these departments do not give them proper training on what they should do when handling these situations. I am not really shocked about these statistics presented to me, and I believe them. “Police officers are responsible for about 8 per cent of all homicides of adult males in the United States” – this is when them excuses like “I felt like my life was in danger” or “I felt threatened” tend to come up so the officer can appear as the victim. The article states that the risk of being killed while being a black man compared to being a white man is 3.2 to 3.5 times higher. That brings on misunderstandings on why police are confused on why black men fear the police. Just being African American and having an interaction with police officers is a fearsome situation. So just imagine being an African American male knowing these statistics about police killings would you be afraid to have a interaction with police? These people support the inappropriate force, but the victim does not endure this alone (i.e. taxpayers pay the due of police wrong doing). So think about police misconduct and if you are the one who agrees with them; they are taking our money (taxpayers) to fix their problems and the majority of people are against police brutality.
I believe that people watch a policemen’s every move, every action, and every situation that they are involved in. Especially in today’s world, police are watched, recorded, and judge on every action and move that they make. I believe that it takes one bad move, from one bad cop, to completely change the way that people look at cops. Cops who use a strong use of force, which sometime is necessary, are at risk of facing public scrutiny, especially lately. I believe that some cops abuse their power and take things out of control which escalates incidents, which then puts all cops at risks, all because one cop used bad judgement and abused their power. I feel that cops who abuse their use of power should be held accountable, but they also need to find a middle ground where if they need to protect their own self, then they should be able to do that. Some cops today automatically pull their guns on criminals instead of using other methods like a taser, pepper spray, or baton which leads to an over use of killings. When someone decides to become a police officer, they need to realize that someone is always going to watch their every move and have judgement for or against them.