US police killings headed for 1,100 this year, with black Americans twice as likely to die

[umbertino]

Guardian investigation finds 547 people killed by law enforcement so far in 2015 as Obama’s call for ‘appropriate oversight’ continues to go unheeded

 

 

Oliver Laughland, Jon Swaine and Jamiles Lartey in New York

 

Wednesday 1 July 2015 12.48 BST

 

 

 

Police in the United States are killing people at a rate that would result in 1,100 fatalities by the end of this year, according to a Guardian investigation, which recorded an average of three people killed per day during the first half of 2015.

 

The Counted, a project working to report and crowdsource names and a series of other data on every death caused by law enforcement in the US this year, found that 547 people had been killed by the end of June.

 

In total, 478 of those people were shot and killed, while 31 died after being shocked by a Taser, 16 died after being struck by police vehicles, and 19 – including 25-year-old Freddie Gray in Baltimore – have died after altercations in police custody.

 

When adjusted to accurately reflect the US population, the totals indicate that black people are being killed by police at more than twice the rate of white and Hispanic or Latino people. Black people killed by police were also significantly more likely to have been unarmed.

 

Brittany Packnett, an activist and member of Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, described the continued disproportionate killing of unarmed black Americans as “appalling”.

 

“It is something we should be deeply ashamed of and committed to changing urgently because it is very literally a life-or-death situation for so many people, and many of those people look like me,” Packnett said on Tuesday.

 

The US government does not currently keep a comprehensive record of people killed by police. Instead the FBI runs a voluntary program for law enforcement agencies to submit numbers of “justified homicides” if they choose.

 

When the federal government last published a full year’s worth of data, it found 461 “justifiable homicides” by law enforcement for the entirety of 2013; at the current crude rate, the Guardian’s count has law enforcement on track to kill 1,109 people in 2015.

 

Forecasting how the total number of officer-involved deaths will stand at the end of 2015 and how this compares with past years is complicated by the fact that a comprehensive count for an entire year, taking into account seasonal changes and other variables, has not yet been produced.

 

Over a period spanning from 2003 to 2009 and 2011, the FBI counted 383 such homicides as an annual average. The actual average, as estimated by a March study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which even that agency’s accountability researchers admit is incomplete, was 928.

 

A major recommendation made by Obama’s policing taskforce was a call for the federal government to start collecting more complete numbers.

 

“We live in a time and space that dictates that if we can’t prove it with data, then it didn’t happen. And yet we know that people are continuing to suffer in these ways every single day, so we have to make sure we have the numbers to back up people’s stories and that those numbers push police departments towards urgent action,” said Packnett.

 

Amid mounting pressure for what the president himself called “appropriate oversight”, Democratic senators Barbara Boxer of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey, and congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee, have proposed legislation to introduce mandatory reporting for fatalities involving police.

 

“Incomplete and unreliable reporting makes it tougher to understand the true scope of the problem and more difficult to obtain a policy solution,” Booker said, in a recent online post explaining why he was proposing the law change.

 

Of the 547 people found by the Guardian to have been killed by law enforcement so far this year, 49.7% were white, 28.3% were black and 15.5% were Hispanic/Latino. According to US census data, 62.6% of the population is white, 13.2% is black and 17.1% is Hispanic/Latino.

 

More than one in of five those killed so far in 2015 – 119 people in all – were unarmed. While 31.6% of black people killed were found to be carrying no weapon, that was true for only 16.5% of white people. This stark disparity has stayed roughly constant since The Counted began publishing at the beginning of June.

 

A total of 76 people have been killed since The Counted was first published – the lowest monthly total so far this year. Of these, 67 people were shot, three had been shocked by a Taser, three were struck by police vehicles and three died in custody following altercations with officers.

 

On 23 June in Indianapolis, 34-year-old Joshua Dyer was killed when police fired at a vehicle in which he was a passenger. Police said Dyer and the driver, Matthew Cole, were uncooperative during a traffic stop, and that Cole eventually “sped off” from the stop, with officers giving chase.

 

The vehicle eventually crashed into a fence, at which point officials said Cole, 41, briefly got out, and then got back into the vehicle and put it into reverse. “Fearing for their own safety,” a police press release said, “an officer discharged his service weapon, striking the passenger.”

 

The Indianapolis metropolitan police department policy on use of force states that while officers are expected to move out of the way of a moving vehicle, they are not restricted from using deadly force against the operator of a vehicle “when it is reasonably perceived that the vehicle is being used as a weapon against the officers or others”.

 

While 71 of the people killed in June were men, five were women. Thirty-three were white, 19 were black, 16 were Hispanic/Latino, one was Native American, and one was Arab American. The racial and ethnic backgrounds had not yet been established in six cases.

 

Thirteen of the people killed – roughly one in six of the total – were unarmed. Six of the unarmed were black and six were white. One was Hispanic/Latino.

 

On 15 June in South Lake Tahoe, California, police shot dead an unarmed 22-year-old named Kris Jackson. The biracial man, who police said was wanted for parole violation, was attempting to climb out a window at the time he was shot, according to a lawyer working for Jackson’s family.

 

The South Lake Tahoe police department said they were responding to a domestic disturbance at the residential address and have told local media the officer “perceived a deadly threat” before firing a single shot.

 

Alan Laskin, the Jackson family attorney, told the Guardian that the unarmed young man was wearing only shorts and socks at the time he was killed and had his legs hanging out the window.

 

“He wasn’t a threat to anybody,” Laskin said. “The family basically feel like it was an execution. They look at it as a murder.”

 

South Lake Tahoe police did not respond to a request for comment, but have confirmed that no weapons were recovered during or following the incident.

 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/01/us-police-killings-this-year-black-americans

[George Hayduke]

In California, we shoot violent fleeing felons whether they try to escape through a window or try to take the cross town bus.

[Texstorm]

Down here in Texas where I am at "We don't call 911" on felons, well we do  ...... but that is afterwards. Some body has to pick up the trash.      

[DinarDavo]

You can use statistics to prove just about anything you need to support your agenda. It was recently suggested that a neighboring community had been racially profiling motorist because the racial spread amongst citations issued was inconsistent with the city’s demographics. Well, no kidding Sherlock. The community is located on a major state highway with a daily traffic flow of 65K+ motorist passing through. The population of the town is just over 1,000 residents which means there are approximately 66K+ people “in town” on a daily bases. Ya think that might have something to do with it?

[235snack]

This is a little one sided, how many police have been killed in the same period?  How many people have killed each other, and what race, how many women have been raped and killed?  If you are going to run stats, get them all up here, not just the one's you are pushing.

[DinarDavo]

This is a little one sided, how many police have been killed in the same period?  How many people have killed each other, and what race, how many women have been raped and killed?  If you are going to run stats, get them all up here, not just the one's you are pushing.

 

My point exactly...... Thank you.

[Snatcher]

As yet another White Man walks into a school,theater,shopping mall ,church and kills innocent individuals

,. Shame on you all.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Snatcher

[stealthwarrior]

For once,i don't even know what to say.

[10 YEARS LATER]

The entire globe is unraveling like a cheap suit. . . and it would appear the powers that be seem very pleased to accelerate the unraveling any which way they can by causing as much grief, agro and strife as possible to unhinge as many folks as quickly as possible.

Oh, . . . and may the Swartz be with you . . . 

[The Machine]

wow what a waste of life.

 

 

In the past 20 years UK police have shot 33 people, your guys in blue seem a lot more efficient they could handle that in 11 days.

 

Iceland had its first police shooting since 1944 back in 2013.

Edited July 1, 2015 by The Machine

[RV ME]

As yet another White Man walks into a school,theater,shopping mall ,church and kills innocent individuals

,. Shame on you all.

 

Even though I am not sure how your comment is relative to the OP, I still think I must respond.   Everyone knows there has never been a black man who has killed innocent people in a mall, church, theater, or even sniping people around DC.  Shame on me I guess for pointing that out.

 

wow what a waste of life.

 

 

In the past 20 years UK police have shot 33 people, your guys in blue seem a lot more efficient they could handle that in 11 days.

 

Iceland had its first police shooting since 1944 back in 2013.

 

In the last 20 years there have been 3332 police officers killed in the line of duty in the USA (http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/year.html).  In just the last 10 years there has been an average of 1 officer killed in the line of duty every 60 hours (http://www.nleomf.org/facts/enforcement/).  I wonder how that compares to how many UK police officers have been killed in the same timeframe?

 

The entire globe is unraveling like a cheap suit. . . and it would appear the powers that be seem very pleased to accelerate the unraveling any which way they can by causing as much grief, agro and strife as possible to unhinge as many folks as quickly as possible.

Oh, . . . and may the Swartz be with you . . . 

[10 YEARS LATER]

RV ME        

[George Hayduke]

@ RV ME - Did you mean Stephen Swartz?  Sounds a little like Moby but thought I throw it in the middle of the discussion for intermission.

 

[Thaiexpat]

Thanks for the post, Umberto.

Your right, stats can be warped to make things look worse than they are, just like claiming "killed in the line of duty" sounds like the pig was duking it out with narco or gang-bangers. Most were killed in accidents (like choking on dognuts) or while performing services as private security guard-which means they died ACTUALLY WORKING. My hat goes off to those officers.

However, VIDEO from the porkers is hard to deny. Check out this lovely, balanced fellow dealing with a detained guy. hey, nothing like throwing a beating on a hand-cuffed man.

And, yes, I was a an LEO. How about you tough guys?

Dunno, just saying...No to Cops!

 

 

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/vidoe-catches-cop-rampage-fellow-cops-stop-torturing-handcuffed-man/

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

***///

 

"... choking on dognuts.."...? !   WTH?!   Some people just shouldn't be allowed to own pets ! 

[Thaiexpat]

***///

 

"... choking on dognuts.."...? !   WTH?!   Some people just shouldn't be allowed to own pets ! 

Sorry, girls. A poor attempt at humor. We used to call DOUGHNUTS: dognuts

Hope you all are well south of the border. Fishin? Campin? Making moonshine with the locals? Watch out for those Reva-new-ers!

Cheers

[RV ME]

Thanks for the post, Umberto.

Your right, stats can be warped to make things look worse than they are, just like claiming "killed in the line of duty" sounds like the pig was duking it out with narco or gang-bangers. Most were killed in accidents (like choking on dognuts) or while performing services as private security guard-which means they died ACTUALLY WORKING. My hat goes off to those officers.

However, VIDEO from the porkers is hard to deny. Check out this lovely, balanced fellow dealing with a detained guy. hey, nothing like throwing a beating on a hand-cuffed man.

And, yes, I was a an LEO. How about you tough guys?

Dunno, just saying...No to Cops!

 

 

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/vidoe-catches-cop-rampage-fellow-cops-stop-torturing-handcuffed-man/

Ah yes, very easy to lie with statistics. Kind of like saying the escaped murderer in NY killed by the police was a bad thing. Never mind that he was in a " never take me alive" mindset.

And it must be a cop conspiracy that came up with the phrase "suicide by cop" since nobody would really put a police officer in a situation like that.

While there is a small minority of bad cops that give the good cops a bad reputation, conversely it must be the bad criminals that give the good criminals a bad rap.

[dog53]

inner city black Americans are not only twice as likely to get shot.

They are also twice as likely to steal

 Twice as likely to assault another black citizen.

Twice as likely to grab for a cops weapon

 Twice as likely to commit murder.

Twice as likely to sell drugs

Twice as likely to be illegally armed .

 

 

Come on this aint brain surgery   

 

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

////

***

 

But not twice as likely to choke on dognuts, eh, DOG...?!  

[The Machine]

In the last 20 years there have been 3332 police officers killed in the line of duty in the USA (http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/year.html). In just the last 10 years there has been an average of 1 officer killed in the line of duty

There have been 248 UK police officers killed in the line of duty....... Since 1900 (115years)

In the past 20 years there have been 25 deaths

Edited July 2, 2015 by The Machine

[George Hayduke]

Thanks for the post, Umberto.

Your right, stats can be warped to make things look worse than they are, just like claiming "killed in the line of duty" sounds like the pig was duking it out with narco or gang-bangers. Most were killed in accidents (like choking on dognuts) or while performing services as private security guard-which means they died ACTUALLY WORKING. My hat goes off to those officers.

However, VIDEO from the porkers is hard to deny. Check out this lovely, balanced fellow dealing with a detained guy. hey, nothing like throwing a beating on a hand-cuffed man.

And, yes, I was a an LEO. How about you tough guys?

Dunno, just saying...No to Cops!

 

 

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/vidoe-catches-cop-rampage-fellow-cops-stop-torturing-handcuffed-man/

 

Really?  I have a hard time seeing you as a brother nazi pig stomping on citizens civil rights while choking on a dog's nuts.  Reserve officer or full time and, how large was your department?

 

I'd love to meet with a fellow porker and compare batons - care to join me in an impromptu choir practice out behind the station?  I'll bring the Schlitz you bring your Serpico war stories - I'm always eager and ready to learn from a seasoned law enforcement veteran.

 

 

[RV ME]

Really?  I have a hard time seeing you as a brother nazi pig stomping on citizens civil rights while choking on a dog's nuts.  Reserve officer or full time and, how large was your department?

 

I'd love to meet with a fellow porker and compare batons - care to join me in an impromptu choir practice out behind the station?  I'll bring the Schlitz you bring your Serpico war stories - I'm always eager and ready to learn from a seasoned law enforcement veteran.

 

 

 

Love it George +1.  When you two get together, ask him a question for me.  Since expat seems to say that all cops are bad and abuse people, and he was a LEO, ask him how many people he abused and /or killed during his tenure.

[dog53]

Back in my day a cop only had to say HALT or I`ll shoot.

Black ,White, Brown, yellow, Rainbow if you did not halt they would shoot you in the back.

Armed unarmed it didnt matter.

You got shot.

Guess what ?

We had law and order.

You didnt have to lock your doors at night.

You could walk down the street and not worry about some young trash sucker punching you to see if he can knock you out.

You can bash the cops all day

I still say there`s more good ones then bad ones.

and if a good one has to shoot ya

well you probably needed shooting.

Get these crazy bastards off the planet. 

They are waste of gods good air. 

Edited July 2, 2015 by dog53

[The Machine]

Back in my day a cop only had to say HALT or I`ll shoot.

Black ,White, Brown, yellow, Rainbow if you did not halt they would shoot you in the back.

Armed unarmed it didnt matter.

You got shot.

Guess what ?

We had law and order.

You didnt have to lock your doors at night.

You could walk down the street and not worry about some young trash sucker punching you to see if he can knock you out.

You can bash the cops all day

I still say there`s more good ones then bad ones.

and if a good one has to shoot ya

well you probably needed shooting.

Get these crazy bastards off the planet. 

They are waste of gods good air. 

 

I can remember only 25 / 30 years ago we used to leave our guns in an unlocked car while at church, then after walk down the main street with guns in hand towards the woods at the other end of town, sometimes stopping off for a coffee or something to eat before we headed out for the day ................ nobody even looked twice at us.

 

if I did that today there would be choppers hovering above and a swat team en route, the world is so scared these days that people cant even tell friend from foe.

 

All they see is gun

 

I blame the media, they hype every little thing up and blow it so out of proportion the average non thinking civilian will see any act as terrorism .......... and the PTB love it. 

Edited July 2, 2015 by The Machine

[George Hayduke]

Love it George +1.  When you two get together, ask him a question for me.  Since expat seems to say that all cops are bad and abuse people, and he was a LEO, ask him how many people he abused and /or killed during his tenure.

 I also ask him what type of remedy resulted with the civil rights violations he observed and reported.

 

On a more sober note, while expat was sleeping securely under the protection of the Thai, 'I didn't see anything' police one of our young Bakersfield Police Officers was cruising the 2 am mean streets Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam made so famous looking for bad guys.

 

He found one, unfortunately the hombre he found wasn't going back to prison, and didn't really care the Officer Nelson was only twenty five years old and a rookie of two years.

 

We buried Officer Nelson today.

 

Julian Carlos Hernandez was arrested saturday for the death of officer Nelson.  Hernandez was not shot, bludgeoned, tazed, sapped, OC'd or, the victim of any other blood thirsty jedi cop mind tricks.  The arresting officers performed their duty as they always do; as officers of the law.

 

"It's a shame that we lose someone so young and so soon into their career," said Guillen, who worked with Nelson when he was a cadet, the precursor to becoming an officer. "He was a very bright kid, very smart, athletic and he always took self-initiative, and I think that's what made him stand out from the rest. He was just sharp."

Joshua Kendrick, community resources officer, said Nelson was equal parts serious and fun -- but really shone during the department's annual Shop With a Cop holiday event.

"That's something he really enjoyed, taking less fortunate kids and helping them find some things for Christmas," Kendrick said.

Hundreds of state and local law enforcement officials joined city officials at Nelson's services.