Part III: The Urgency of 1,826

This is the third in a three-part series written in response to three tragic events in America which began July 5, 2016.

“An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.”

-- Governor John Bel Edwards, Louisiana

     The 24-hour news cycle shifted away from the deadly July 4^th week and even more recent police killings in Baton Rouge.  Not talking about deadly force and retaliation does not make the problem go away.  Between January, 2015 and July 15 of this year a total of 1,719 Americans were killed by law enforcement officers.  This year 107 law enforcement officers have died on the job.

     The British-based Guardian news agency and their open-ended report “The Counted” (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/series/counted-us-police-killings) not only tallies the number of deadly force incidents, but also analyzes the data to provide breakdowns by race, age, cause, the victims’ armed or unarmed status, and several other important factors.  Readers, PLEASE READ “THE COUNTED.”  This information is incredibly important because raw facts speak louder than American reporters, protests, Tweets, and knee-jerk responses by elected and appointed officials.

     This excellent journalism when compared to the FBI’s attempts to operate a database capable of similar functions prompted FBI Director James B. Comey to call the federal operation, “embarrassing and ridiculous.”  Rather than relying on public news reports and independent fact-checking as journalists do, the FBI relies upon the voluntary (not compulsory) reporting of America’s 18,000 policing agencies.  Clearly, if federal agencies cannot even look at facts there is no chance of proactive prevention or external oversight of the police departments with the highest per capita and/or total rates of deadly force.

     Here are some revelations from “The Counted”.  First, be aware the data for 2016 changes daily.  On December 31, 2015, The Guardian reported the total number of deaths by police use of deadly force in 2015 was 1,134.  The vast majority (89%) of fatal civilian injuries were gunshot wounds.  The remaining deaths involved Tasers (4%), physical altercations in custody (4%) and being hit by a police vehicle (3%).  Police most often responded with deadly force in cases involving domestic violence (21%), attempts to serve a warrant or apprehend a known fugitive (16%), traffic stops (14%), violent crimes (13%) and non-violent crimes (7%).  Only 18 of these incidents resulted in criminal charges against the officers. Another 255 incidents were ruled “justifiable” homicides.

     The raw total associated with the racial composition of deadly force victims was surprising in that more white people were killed by police than were other races.  But, African Americans are rightfully alarmed.  Blacks comprise approximately 12.9 percent of the total U.S. population and black men age 15-34 represent a mere two percent of the total U.S. population.  Therefore, it is shocking that young black males accounted for 17% of the victims of deadly force.  More dreadful is the fact that 25% of those black men were unarmed.

     These facts, when taken in context, point to a terrible dilemma for police.  Law enforcement personnel have a very dangerous job.  Police are now targets for armed retaliation.  On a daily basis they deal with people who have a history of violence and who present a danger to the public.  Police must act in the moment, using their training and professional judgement in a split second.  In most cases, police use proper procedure and protocol to protect innocent victims from harm.  They are heroes.

     Incidents that draw the most public protest and scrutiny are those which involve police who failed to follow training, directives, and protocol.  As was the case with Philando Castile, police draw weapons for no imaginable reason and later try to explain it away by saying the victim “matched the description of a person of interest.”  The public is further infuriated when an “internal investigation” performed by the officer’s coworkers concludes the officer did the right thing.  After all, how could the mirror lie?

     Because dash cams “fail” routinely and body cameras are (mis)used at the discretion of the errant officers, I applaud cellphone camera witnesses.  Police spokespeople have demonized these citizen photographers then leveled threats at the same witnesses who uploaded videos of police brutality to social media sites to protect themselves.  Witnesses must “lawyer up” to maintain control of their videos because they are afraid the truth will be buried.  Mayors, governors and Presidents need to have the same courage when it comes to the truth about police departments.

     We can talk all day about poverty, race, and gun control; but the missing element in halting police brutality is effective external oversight.  Cities, counties, states and the FBI all are embarrassed by their lack of information and inability to manage departments that are out of control.  Amidst the old standard of internal review, local and federal leaders are wrongly made to feel guilty for examining work environments that condone violence.  For victims and survivors of deadly force, leaders need to grab the reigns and grow a spine.  This isn’t about the 99 percent of great police officers who never draw their weapons.  This is about systems that allow one percent of bad cops to be bad.

     At a point in our history when British newspapers and cellphone cameras are documenting exactly what individual police officers are doing, it is clear that the age of the incident report and internal investigation is over.  The number of citizens and police who have died in America as a direct result or as a retaliation for deadly force will exceed 2,000 before the end of this year.  Citizen lives matter.  Law enforcement lives matter.  The loss of 1,826 lives is an emergency.

     We, as a nation, are hungry for change.  Change is not an event, but a process that begins with our willingness.  Let us build upon our common sense of urgency and have the courage to innovate and find solutions that begin with honest communication.  Let us find the will to build America’s future on a peaceful path rather than a bloody street.