Police in the US use force on at least 300,000 people each year, injuring an estimated 100,000 of them, according to a groundbreaking data analysis on law enforcement encounters.
Mapping Police Violence, a non-profit research group that tracks killings by US police, launched a new database on Wednesday cataloging non-fatal incidents of police use of force, including stun guns, chemical sprays, K9 dog attacks, neck restraints, beanbags and baton strikes.
The database features incidents from 2017 through 2022, compiled from public records requests in every state. The findings, the group says, suggest that despite widespread protests against police brutality following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, overall use of force has remained steady since then – and in many jurisdictions, has increased.
Easy. The US does not have “law enforcement.”
The police have no duty to protect the law and they do not. They protect capital and only respond to crime after the fact.
and if you’re not a member of the favored class they won’t respond even then. In fact, they might make your situation worse just to do it. I got pickpocketed in Louisville and the police basically told me that not having my wallet anymore was a problem I’d have to navigate on my own. Later that day they busted me for driving without a license and vagrancy because I was trying to leave Louisville to return home to VA.
I cannot emphasize enough that when people ask questions to me when I say we should dissolve the police and start anew with some new mechanism for handling crime such as “who will you call when you’re the victim of a crime” my answer is almost never the police because its very rare for them to do anything useful
You know anyone can look up arrest records and see how inaccurate your statement is.
That’s not enforcement, that’s the justice system after the fact.
Of course they can’t do anything about a crime that hasn’t been committed. Do you want police to follow people around to prevent crimes or arrest people they suspect will commit a crime.
As soon as they witness a crime they act. If you expect more than that you are looking for a police state.
Arrest records are also not an accurate portrayal of crime. There’s a TON of wrongful arrests out there. Like… Its a monumental problem
Right, it’s not a good representation of crime, because the number of reports are always higher than the number of cleared cases, hence the term clearance rate, which by the way is highest for crimes against persons(murder, rape, and manslaughter) despite the earlier claim that “police only protect capital”.
Good thing there is a process to validate the arrests.