‘It never stops’: US police homicides to reach record high in 2022 | US police
U.S. law enforcement will kill at least 1,176 people in 2022, making it the deadliest year for police violence on record since experts first began tracking the killings, according to a new report. revealed by data analysis.
Police across the country said they killed an average of more than three people a day last year and nearly 100 people a month. Mapping Police ViolenceA non-profit research group maintains a database of deaths reported by law enforcement agencies, including those fatally shot, beaten, restrained, and tased.
The provisional total for 2022 may be underestimated as more cases are cataloged, but there are 31 more deaths than the previous year. 2021, police 1,145 dead1,152 in 2020. In 2019 he was 1,097. 1,140 in 2018. 1,089 in 2017. The oldest data date back to his 2013, when the advocate began counting the number of these deadly incidents.Ah database Statistics run by the Washington Post, which tracks fatal police shootings, also show that 2022 will be the year of record murders.
Data release comes two years after George Floyd’s murder provoked a national uprising racial justice, police accountability, reduction Police budget and size. Despite international attention and some local efforts to curb police brutality, backlash against criminal justice reform has intensified and the total number of killings remains alarmingly high.
“It never stops,” said Aunt Bianca Austin. Breonna Taylorthe March 2020 killing in Kentucky sparked massive protests. It’s very disappointing.
Behind the Numbers: “Everyday Encounters”
The numbers are slowly increasing, but the circumstances preceding the killings are consistent.
In 2022, 132 killings (11%) were unclaimed cases. 104 (9%) were mental health or well-being checks. 98 (8%) participated traffic violation207 (18%) involved other allegations of nonviolent crime. In addition, 93 cases (8%) had allegations of domestic violence, and 128 cases (11%) had weapons. Only 370 (31%) were potentially involved in more serious situations of suspected violent crime.
Samuel Sinyangwe, a data scientist and policy analyst who founded Mapping Police Violence and contributed the 2022 data to the Guardian, said: “Just because we talk less about police violence doesn’t mean the problem will go away. What is clear is that it continues to get worse, and that it is deeply systemic.”
Additionally, in 32% of cases last year, the person escape before being killedcommonly run or chase away – a case where experts say deadly force is unwarranted and endangers the public. Ohio police open fire in June Dozens of rounds with Jayland Walkerwas armed and fled. A month later, as soon as a California police officer got out of an unmarked car, Robert He opened fire on Adams. ran in the opposite direction.
Racial disparities also persist, with blacks representing 24% of deaths last year but only 13% of the population. From 2013 to 2022, a black resident was three times more likely to be killed by U.S. police than a white resident. Inequality is particularly acute in some cities, such as Minneapolis, where police killed 28 times more blacks than her whites, and Chicago, where police killed 25 times more than hers, Mapping Police Violence reports. doing.
“The ability of the police as judges, juries and executioners has been taken to another level. No matter how much we claim to be wrong, society will allow it to happen.” said Jacob Blake Sr. group Called Families United to help people whose loved ones have been killed by the police.
Sinyangwe also found a notable increase in killings by the Sheriff’s Department, a county agency generally run by an elected leader. In 2022, the sheriff was involved in his 416 murders, more than his 277 in 2013.
It’s unclear what’s driving that increase, but Shinyanwe said there’s growing partnerships between sheriffs and other agencies that could lead to sheriffs executing search warrants and potentially deadly cases. The sheriff’s office is also particularly politicized during elections, which could contribute to the problem, he said. As a result, the sheriff’s department becomes more violent. ”
“There is a solution”
Despite a nationwide rise in murders, there are some signs of progress.
Sinyangwe noted a program in Denver that was attended by clinicians and medical personnel. Thousands of Mental Health Calls Instead of having to call the police for backup.in some cities restricted road closure For minor violations.and in California Jaywalking Decriminalized and other minor violation Defenders say it has nothing to do with public safety, but is used to profile certain communities.
“We have solutions and alternative responses already being piloted for each of these types of everyday encounters, and are already generating data that show they are dramatically more effective than the police.” says Sinyangwe.
Several local jurisdictions and states have also seen a reduction in lethality. CaliforniaThe most populous state has seen a 29% drop in homicides since 2013, according to Mapping Police Violence. Meanwhile, in Texas, his second most populous state, he saw a 30% increase over the period.
Dr. Elizabeth Geordie Davis, a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University and an expert in social movements, said the consistent numbers from year to year reveal that “widespread systemic change” is needed to prevent these killings. While calls for police reimbursement are growing, leader She said the percentages of both parties pushing for law enforcement expansion are in opposition.
“There is an ongoing effort in this country to use violence to control people and solve problems. prize.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/06/us-police-killings-record-number-2022 ‘It never stops’: US police homicides to reach record high in 2022 | US police