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posted by janrinok on Friday October 14 2016, @11:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the only-if-the-police-want-to dept.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice will set up databases that will track instances of death by police shooting, as well as voluntarily reported deaths due to suicide or medical issues while in police custody:

Under the plan, the Justice Department will gather more data on the use of force by federal agents and help local departments report information on a wider range of police encounters. But a number of the reporting steps will rely on local police officials to voluntarily submit data, and some civil rights advocates said the Justice Department had not made clear how it would impose financial penalties set by Congress to encourage the reporting of police shootings.

[...] The most comprehensive records on police shootings have come from the news media, particularly The Washington Post and The Guardian, which have created running databases. James B. Comey, the director of the F.B.I., told lawmakers last year that it was "embarrassing" that the news media could produce better data than his own agency on such an important issue. [...] According to the Post database, 991 people were fatally shot by the police last year, and 754 have been so far this year.

[...] Under the Justice Department plan, the F.B.I. is to begin a pilot program early next year to assemble data on the use of force by about 178,000 agents at major federal law enforcement agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the F.B.I. itself. In addition, the Justice Department plans to begin collecting data from local and state law enforcement departments on "in custody" deaths — not just in shootings, but in cases of suicide and natural death as well.

A measure passed by Congress in 2014 called the Death in Custody Reporting Act required local departments to report only fatal encounters. Justice Department officials said they would rely on local police officials to voluntarily report nonlethal encounters as well. Under a third part of the plan, the Justice Department said it was authorizing $750,000 for a "police data initiative" designed to help local departments collect and publicly release information on a wider range of actions, including stops of citizens, searches, the use of force, shootings and other encounters.

Also at The Guardian and NPR. See also: Fatal Encounters.


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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by DutchUncle on Saturday October 15 2016, @01:16AM

    by DutchUncle (5370) on Saturday October 15 2016, @01:16AM (#414489)

    There are such complete statistics on crime reports and arrests and all of the other aspects of law enforcement; it is continually staggering to me that such an important thing as police shootings was not being tracked as well. Maybe, though, it's not just about downplaying bad incidents; maybe it's about downplaying incompetence like (2012 NYC) two policemen firing 16 shots, killing a murderer - and also injuring NINE BYSTANDERS. The error rate in even *legitimate* actions would have given my old DI apoplexy.

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Saturday October 15 2016, @01:51AM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Saturday October 15 2016, @01:51AM (#414495) Journal

    And many of those arrest reports are doctored to report whatever the cops wants it to be. The only way to know the truth is to film the police, possibly from multiple angles if you have friends or bystanders, with your own cameras, and hope they don't manage to destroy or delete all footage.

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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 15 2016, @01:56AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 15 2016, @01:56AM (#414496)

    > Maybe, though, it's not just about downplaying bad incidents; maybe it's about downplaying incompetence

    As an observer of people for 45+ years I can tell you with total confidence that it is neither.

    It is simply due to the fact that no one made them keep track. Nobody likes to do extra work and from the police's perspective collecting that data is worthless. No conspiracy necessary — it just does not help put criminals in jail so they don't see any point in wasting the effort. You can argue that it would help put criminal cops in jail, but it isn't that they want to protect dirty cops, they just don't want to contemplate the concept of dirty cops. It is much more pleasant to focus on 'actual' criminals.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 15 2016, @10:13AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 15 2016, @10:13AM (#414568)

      they just don't want to contemplate the concept of dirty cops.

      So what you're saying is it is a conspiracy? Willful negligence is still negligence. Willful negligence is also an active phenomenon.

      You imply in your own comment that they are actively ignoring data that may "break the spell" of willful ignorance.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 15 2016, @12:51PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 15 2016, @12:51PM (#414583)

        You seem to be confused as to the meaning of the word "conspiracy."
        Here's a clue:

        1 A secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful.
        ‘a conspiracy to destroy the government’

        1.1[mass noun]The action of plotting or conspiring.
        https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/conspiracy [oxforddictionaries.com]