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Your fear is generally misplaced, here[0] are police misconduct stats (granted they don't count every single episode of police misconduct) and here[1] are crime

Your fear is generally misplaced, here[0] are police misconduct stats (granted they don't count every single episode of police misconduct) and here[1] are crime stats. Certainly one episode of police misconduct is too much, but it's not nearly as high as crimes the police weren't involved in. I think sites like HN and reddit showcase police misconduct and this leads to an exaggerated view of how prevalent it is compared to other dangers. It's similar to the MSM and sexual abuse/stranger danger. [0]http://www.policemisconduct.net/2010-npmsrp-police-misconduct-statistical-report/ http://www.policemisconduct.net/2010-npmsrp-police-misconduc... [1]http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/crimestats http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/crimestats

rcavezza 13y ago
I would take these figures with a grain of salt because I doubt any accurate statistics of police misconduct are kept.
- billybob255 13y ago
  Certainly not, but it's not even close. There were ~5,000 reports of police misconduct and ~12,000 homicides in 2010.
  - kansface 13y ago
    This may be true, but police misconduct is everywhere and most of those homicides are localized to places I don't live.
    - fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
      This is exactly what I was trying to say.
fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
Of course there is a lot more non-police crime than there are reported incidents of police misconduct. What about simple mistakes? I'm not sure if buffoonery is counted as misconduct. What I'm really referring to though, is what is my own personal exposure to risk of harm? I wouldn't be surprised to find that it is more likely that police might kick my door down and shoot my dogs, either by mistake, misunderstanding, or misuse of power, than say armed burglars.
smutticus 13y ago
The main difference of course is that murderers occasionally go to prison for killing people. Whereas the percentage of police ever actually convicted for committing a crime while on duty is so low they might as well have immunity.
greendata 13y ago
They don't count every episode and are self-reported. I have a very hard time trusting those stats.

rcavezza 13y ago

I would take these figures with a grain of salt because I doubt any accurate statistics of police misconduct are kept.

billybob255 13y ago
Certainly not, but it's not even close. There were ~5,000 reports of police misconduct and ~12,000 homicides in 2010.
- kansface 13y ago
  This may be true, but police misconduct is everywhere and most of those homicides are localized to places I don't live.
  - fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
    This is exactly what I was trying to say.

fnordfnordfnord 13y ago

Of course there is a lot more non-police crime than there are reported incidents of police misconduct. What about simple mistakes? I'm not sure if buffoonery is counted as misconduct. What I'm really referring to though, is what is my own personal exposure to risk of harm? I wouldn't be surprised to find that it is more likely that police might kick my door down and shoot my dogs, either by mistake, misunderstanding, or misuse of power, than say armed burglars.

smutticus 13y ago

The main difference of course is that murderers occasionally go to prison for killing people. Whereas the percentage of police ever actually convicted for committing a crime while on duty is so low they might as well have immunity.

greendata 13y ago

They don't count every episode and are self-reported. I have a very hard time trusting those stats.