The issue in the Minneapolis police shooting

[Lee-Lee]

92. Your premise is flawed to some degree, and your concern overblown

Yes, the police do see every interaction on a call as a possible threat. Because there are officers attacked and killed more often than everyone here understands. I'm sure some reading this are already starting to type about how police line of duty deaths are down and that it's not the most dangerous profession- but that's only part of the story. Police deaths are down not because there are fewer attacks on police, assaults on officers are actually rising. What accounts for the drop is that you have better body armor and it's worn 100%, you have medical care my better that makes wounds more survivable, and you have police tactics that make those attacks on police more survivable.

It's a double edged sword. Police deaths are down in part because they are so cautious and treat every stop and interaction as a potential threat. But people use the fact that deaths are down to say they shouldn't be more cautious.

It's a far more complex problem than the police mindset. That mindset is there as a result of real and actual threats and problems officers face every day. If they become complacent they are more likely to be seriously injured or killed.

Now, is more and better training on use of force needed? 100% absolutely. We should all push for that in our communities. But, that costs money. Most people will say they want better trained police but when asked to pay more taxes to fund that they don't want it. They say they want better quality officers recruited but when they are asked to pay more to recruit a better quality and more educated officer they don't want it. They want everything and want to pay for nothing- and you get what you pay for.


That said, you have to keep things in perspective. How many police shootings that are not justified are there in a given week? Less than one. There are 775,000 sworn police officers in the US. If each one works a 40 hour week they will probably interact with 100 people that week. That is over 75 million police interactions a week. While every wrongful death at the hands of police is a tragedy, statistically it's not the problem activists and the media are leading you to believe it is.

To compare it, there are around 800,000 doctors in the USA. Doctors will probably interact with the same number of patients in a week as a police officer does people. Medical errors kill 250,000 people a year in the USA. That is 4800 per week.

In contrast, the total number of people shot by police- in talking even the most clear cut and justified of shootings- in 2016 was 963.

So medical errors kill the same amount of people every 36 hours as the police kill- including justifiable shootings that make up most of that number- in and entire year.

But have you been conditioned by the media to fear every intersection with the health care system? It's more than 250 times more likely to kill you than the police are? And if you only count police errors it's 2500 more times likely to kill you with its error. If not, why not? What does that tell you about how the media and some activist groups have been manipulating your perceptions and emotions?

Wrongful police shootings from police errors, while
Each one tragic, are less than 100 a year even in the most worst of years. Medical errors kill over 250,000 a year. Why is there all the focus on one?

Given that cops receive a fraction of the public that doctors and nurses do in most areas, it should be seen as remarkable that they as a profession have a fatal error rate that is 2500 times lower.

Keep it in perspective, people.