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To this point, I've looked for (and failed to find) year-over-year statistics for murders by police. I agree with the parent that technology is revealing existi

To this point, I've looked for (and failed to find) year-over-year statistics for murders by police. I agree with the parent that technology is revealing existing problems in greater light. Whether or not the problem itself is getting better or worse is a separate issue.

geggam 8y ago
The reason I feel it has grown is in my almost 5 decades of life I have seen police go from peace officers to law enforcement. I have witnessed the changes. It used to be when a kid did something wrong there was tolerance for his youthful ignorance and he was allowed to learn from his mistakes without having a criminal record. Now zero tolerance has stopped the pouring out of beer with a stern warning next time parents / legal matters would be involved. Law enforcement is the mission. It is not a good mission because it is actually disrupting a peaceful society. I wish we could bring back the peace officers and the mission of keeping the peace using laws instead of enforcing the laws at the cost of social peace.
- theseatoms 8y ago
  It's true that local police have become much more militarized over the past decade or two. Trickle-down military-industrial complex, so to speak. Radley Balko is a writer who's covered the issue thoroughly: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Warrior-Cop-Militarization-Americas/dp/1610394577 https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Warrior-Cop-Militarization-Ameri... I just think it's pretty clear by now that the primary driving factor for police criminality becoming a political issue is that very many members of the socio-economic underclass now have internet-connected video cameras on them at all times.
bjelkeman-again 8y ago
The police (or authorities) don’t seem to be keen on counting. https://govtrackinsider.com/there-is-no-federal-database-of-shootings-committed-by-law-enforcement-1a029bb350d2 https://govtrackinsider.com/there-is-no-federal-database-of-... But others are https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_use_of_deadly_force_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_use_of_deadly_force_i...
- sjg007 8y ago
  And this is really the problem. If we don't capture the statistics we won't know and we won't be able to change things or try to change things. I don't know why they won't institute a reporting program. Even the CDC doesn't collect statistics (which would come from hospitals or the coroners)..

geggam 8y ago

The reason I feel it has grown is in my almost 5 decades of life I have seen police go from peace officers to law enforcement. I have witnessed the changes. It used to be when a kid did something wrong there was tolerance for his youthful ignorance and he was allowed to learn from his mistakes without having a criminal record. Now zero tolerance has stopped the pouring out of beer with a stern warning next time parents / legal matters would be involved. Law enforcement is the mission. It is not a good mission because it is actually disrupting a peaceful society. I wish we could bring back the peace officers and the mission of keeping the peace using laws instead of enforcing the laws at the cost of social peace.

theseatoms 8y ago
It's true that local police have become much more militarized over the past decade or two. Trickle-down military-industrial complex, so to speak. Radley Balko is a writer who's covered the issue thoroughly: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Warrior-Cop-Militarization-Americas/dp/1610394577 https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Warrior-Cop-Militarization-Ameri... I just think it's pretty clear by now that the primary driving factor for police criminality becoming a political issue is that very many members of the socio-economic underclass now have internet-connected video cameras on them at all times.

bjelkeman-again 8y ago

The police (or authorities) don’t seem to be keen on counting. https://govtrackinsider.com/there-is-no-federal-database-of-shootings-committed-by-law-enforcement-1a029bb350d2 https://govtrackinsider.com/there-is-no-federal-database-of-... But others are https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_use_of_deadly_force_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_use_of_deadly_force_i...

sjg007 8y ago
And this is really the problem. If we don't capture the statistics we won't know and we won't be able to change things or try to change things. I don't know why they won't institute a reporting program. Even the CDC doesn't collect statistics (which would come from hospitals or the coroners)..