5,000 civilians have been killed by police since 9/11 which is about the number of soldiers killed in the Iraq war. Domestic police forces in the US are looking more and more like paramilitary units, by acquiring used military weapons and gear, from M-16 rifles to armored vehicles.
Though Americans commonly believe law enforcement’s role in society is to protect them and ensure peace and stability within the community, the sad reality is that police departments are often more focused on enforcing laws, making arrests and issuing citations. As a result of this as well as an increase in militarized policing techniques, Americans are eight times more likely to be killed by a police officer than by a terrorist, estimates a Washington’s Blog report based on official statistical data.
Though the U.S. government does not have a database collecting information about the total number of police involved shootings each year, it’s estimated that between 500 and 1,000 Americans are killed by police officers each year. Since 9/11, about 5,000 Americans have been killed by U.S. police officers, which is almost equivalent to the number of U.S. soldiers who have been killed in the line of duty in Iraq. Because individual police departments are not required to submit information regarding the use of deadly force by its officers, some bloggers have taken it upon themselves to aggregate that data. Wikipedia also has a list of “justifiable homicides” in the U.S., which was created by documenting publicized deaths. Mike Prysner, one of the local directors of the Los Angeles chapter for ANSWER – an advocacy group that asks the public to Act Now to Stop War and End Racism – told Mint Press News earlier this year that the “epidemic” of police harassment and violence is a nationwide issue. He said groups like ANSWER are trying to hold officers accountable for abuse of power. “[Police brutality] has been an issue for a very long time,” Prysner said, explaining that in May, 13 people were killed in Southern California by police. As Mint Press News previously reported, each year there are thousands of claims of police misconduct. According to the CATO Institute’s National Police Misconduct Reporting Project, in 2010 there were 4,861 unique reports of police misconduct involving 6,613 sworn officers and 6,826 alleged victims. Most of those allegations of police brutality involved officers who punched or hit victims with batons, but about one-quarter of the reported cases involved firearms or stun guns.
The militarization of the police in the US may seem like just part of the trend since 9/11 (security instead of technology). But it comes at a time when a growing number of people are disenfranchised, unemployed, and some having food insecurity. Most notably is the food insecurity, the cause of the majority of revolutions and social unrest such as the recent Arab Spring is when food cost passes a tipping point (ratio of discretionary income). US agencies have been obtaining not only more weapons but more advanced weapons, some specifically designed for crowd control:
In June it emerged that the DHS was purchasing top of the range body armor and helmets for FPS guards as part of preparations for “riot control situations.” This followed a controversial drill last year dubbed “Operation Shield,” during which FPS agents armed with semiautomatic guns were posted outside a Social Security office in Florida. The unannounced exercise centered around “detecting the presence of unauthorized persons and potentially disruptive or dangerous activities.” Residents were forced to show identification papers to the guards during the drill.
Back in May, FPS guards were stationed outside an IRS building in St. Louis during a Tea Party demonstration, and the DHS has also used its sub-branch to spy on protesters.
