US police annually kill over twice as many citizens as FBI reports

An investigation by the UK based Guardian has revealed that previous FBI figures for how many US citizens are killed annually by police fell way short of the actual mark.

While the figures are disturbing: an average of 928 people killed annually over a recent eight year period compared to an average of 383 annually reported by the FBI, what’s equally disturbing is that it took a foreign media outlet, The Guardian, to uncover the truth of the matter.

At the heart of the problem is that, inexplicably, police departments are not required to report fatal shootings by officers to any central authority, such as the FBI. This just boggles the mind. My guess is that most Americans assumed that reporting such killings was mandatory. I know I did.

It’s time for Congress to act and pass legislation requiring law enforcement agencies nationwide to report the details of every officer involved shooting, fatal or not, to a central agency that is required to publish an annual report made available to the public and the press.

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4 thoughts on “US police annually kill over twice as many citizens as FBI reports

  1. In the Dontre Hamilton death by police incident, former officer Manney has a hearing today before the police and fire commission to try to get re-instated to his former job.

    http://watchdog.org/206962/milwaukee-police-christopher-manney/

    People in Milwaukee and Madison and state-wide should not hesitate and make it a point to watch the vids and read the transcripts about the testimony at a people’s forum on police brutality from Albuquerque citizens attempting to change the status quo in that city. There is a lot to be learned from the citizens there that can be applied to our own part of the larger problem.

    http://cafe-babylon.net/2015/03/18/abq-peoples-tribunal-on-police-brutality/comment-page-1/#comment-116954

    Thanks for the post Steve, it is a shame that we need to visit an overseas based publication to get actual news about what is happening in our own back yards.

  2. (Bump) Word today is that Walker under public pressure to act, is considering actually adding $700K and several investigative personnel positions to the DOJ office (which were previously NOT included in the current budget proposal) under the new state law requiring an outside investigator be brought in to examine police shootings in any particular jurisdiction.

  3. I am all in favor of the Lefty areas voting to not gave police protection to remedy this.

  4. Talked to FBI guy and he says that thye ahve not put out numbers.

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