Police Killings in 2015 so far (by State):

[TBF]

How Many People Police Have Killed in Each State So Far This Year

In 47 out of 50 states, American police officers have killed at least one person so far this year. In some, the number of officer-involved homicides dwarfs numbers from entire countries.

The map below, based on statistics the research collaborative Mapping Police Violence provided to Mic, shows all 605 deaths from police violence in the United States from Jan. 1 through July 10. As is evident, there's a clear correlation between population size and the number of slayings, but certain states still stand out with particularly large numbers.



http://mic.com/articles/122161/one-map-shows-all-the-people-police-have-killed-in-each-state-so-far-this-year

[randys1]

1. ALEC wants private police depts and fire depts, not only so they can pay them WAY less

but also so they can coordinate the killings in a more efficient manner.

[Angry Dragon]

13. don't forget the private prisons

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Obviously, everybody in 2 states use their turn signals properly and don't smoke.

[TBF]

3. Right? And they are also properly submissive. nt

[Glassunion]

4. 3 states

Everyone forgets Rhode Island...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Maybe that's a good thing.

[Agschmid]

6. Kick.

[IcyPeas]

7. California? WTH?

I didn't expect that.

[Glassunion]

8. It is a rather populous state

[TBF]

11. Not only populous but diverse -

the article links to another article from 2014 talking about police shootings and racism: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/18/ferguson-black-arrest-rates/19043207/

Same thing with Texas. We are likely looking at higher numbers that include attempted drug arrests etc. Those numbers are of course going to be higher at the borders.

Once again the combination of capitalism and racism - huge systemic problems in this country.

[JHB]

14. Some quick calculating ranks it 14th adjusting for population

Quick calculation of per million population: 

Oklahoma 6.70
 Arizona 4.16
 Wyoming 3.42
 New Mexico 3.36
 Oregon 3.27
 Nebraska 3.19
 Idaho 3.06
 Hawaii 2.82
 Alaska 2.71
 West Virginia 2.70
 Colorado 2.61
 Louisiana 2.58
 South Carolina 2.48
 California 2.45
 Kansas 2.41
 Texas 2.37
 Kentucky 2.27
 Florida 2.16
 Delaware 2.14
 New Jersey 2.13
 Alabama 2.06
 Utah 2.04
 Mississippi 2.00
 Missouri 1.98
 Montana 1.95
 Georgia 1.88
 Maryland 1.84
 Indiana 1.82
 Washington 1.56
 District of Columbia 1.52
 New Hampshire 1.51
 Nevada 1.41
 Tennessee 1.37
  North Dakota 1.35
 Arkansas 1.35
 Virginia 1.32
 North Carolina 1.31
 Ohio 1.29
 Massachusetts 1.19
 New York 1.11
 Illinois 1.09
 Iowa 0.97
 Minnesota 0.92
 Michigan 0.91
 Wisconsin 0.87
 Pennsylvania 0.86
 Maine 0.75
 Connecticut 0.28
 Rhode Island 0.00
 South Dakota 0.00
 Vermont 0.00

[Lizzie Poppet]

15. That was my initial thought: OK and AZ were outliers.

So, to some degree, is my beloved Oregon. Mind you, we have a hell of a problem in the rural parts of the state with meth labs (and their often-violent operators), but without knowing where the police killings took place, I can't say if that's the major factor.

[Rex]

9. I think I see a pattern here.

Of course being a native Texan, I already knew about how bad some Good Old Boys...er PDs are around here.

[seveneyes]

10. How many were armed and posing a threat?

Where are the data?

[TBF]

12. The article itself links to some back-up articles -

such as this one from 2014: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/18/ferguson-black-arrest-rates/19043207/ to give some background for their assertions.

I do think you have a legitimate point. As I said above in the thread we are likely seeing the drug arrest (or attempted arrests) in these numbers for sure - especially in the border states of California and Texas. Large populations, diversity, plenty of criminal activity going on. I can tell you here in Houston there are often stories of the officers who are shot (whether injured or killed) and many of them are just doing their job to the best of their ability. Not all of them are racists by any stretch.

I think ultimately you have to look at both the effects of capitalism (resulting poverty and all that entails with the extreme income inequality we're facing) and racism to have a clearer understanding of where we are in this country.