American Police More Violent Than Two Most Violent Countries In The World


The police against citizen kill rate is roughly 145 per 100,000. Alone, this data may not mean anything. Is this high? Is this low? You’d be shocked at how sad this statistic is compared to other countries. According to Daily News:

In most countries in Europe the national homicide rate is 1 per 100,000, so that means American police kill at 145 times the rate of the average European citizen. The two most violent countries in the world are Venezuela and Honduras with national homicide rates of 54 and 90 per 100,000. The U.S. government issues travel warnings stating: “The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens that the level of crime and violence in Honduras remains critically high” and “violent crime in Venezuela is pervasive.” If you are not comfortable vacationing in those countries, it is little wonder why so many Americans are uncomfortable with police who kill at more than 1.5 and 2.5 times the homicide rates of the two most violent countries.

The American police kill rate also compares poorly to the police kill rates in other countries. Nationwide in England and Wales, Netherlands, and Scandinavian countries police average killing less than two people per year, giving police kill rates between a high of 9 per 100,000 in Denmark and a low of 1.6 per 100,000 in England and Wales. That means American police are killing citizens at a rate 15 times higher than police in Denmark and 90 times higher than police in England and Wales. For the first quarter of 2015, police in England and Wales have shot and killed a total of zero people, whereas American police killed 392 citizens in that time period. That rate is 205 kills per 100,000 police, infinitely higher than the zero in the land we once rebelled against for having standing armies on our soil. Last year police in Japan killed zero and police in Iceland reportedly have killed one person in their entire history.

Some argue that most deaths by police are justified and the victims deserved it. We know, for example, that Eric Garner in Staten Island was likely guilty of selling untaxed cigarettes; Michael Brown in Ferguson was likely guilty of shoplifting cigarillos; Walter Scott in Charleston was guilty of fleeing after being stopped for having a broken taillight; and Freddie Gray was caught with knife that was legal in Maryland but not in Baltimore. But since when should guilt for any of those crimes warrant a death penalty?

Our embarrassing kill rate among law enforcement should teach us a lesson. Such a high number of police killings is definitely not natural or okay in any way. When it comes to law enforcement, we should look to the officers of other countries. Take the case of the Swedish police on vacation in New York. When a subway fight broke out, did they shoot the men involved? Did they shout obscenities? No. They handled it professionally and tried to make sure everyone involved was okay.  This is how some of the lunatic police in America should behave. They should want to help, not hurt criminals. It’s all about rehabilitation.

Source: NY Daily News



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