Over the summer, the Guardian predicted that American police will kill 1,100 people this year. So far, officers have killed 700 and are on pace to reach that abysmal prediction.
In 2015, police officers in America have killed 703 citizens, 26 of which were black and unarmed. Although the majority of the 703 people killed were armed or posed a legitimate threat, the more alarming number is 65. That’s the total number of unarmed people that police have killed this year.
These numbers are likely skewed, however. Federal law doesn’t require police departments to deliver reports of shooting incidents involving police officers. They are submitted voluntarily, and the departments likely cherry-pick which incidents they submit to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Since 1976, the FBI hasn’t recorded more than 460 per year.
News outlets like the Washington Post and the Guardian have been keeping track of police shootings via public documents, local news reports, and original reporting. This method has proven to be more accurate. Just within the first six months of 2015, 463 people were killed, already meeting the highest number the FBI has reported since the 70s.
Police departments don’t give the public the entire story. The American public just gets the pro-cop data that makes the police look better.
For more on this story, visit the Washington Post “On-duty police officers have shot and killed more than 700 people this year”
