Police Shooting Research Paper

Milefchik 1

Kyle Milefchik
English 102
Period 7
08 May 2015 How Many Police Shootings Really Occur?
In the United States, the public tends to keep track of a lot of things. They have data on how many pigs and hogs are in the United States. The government has data on how many people have been victims of shark attacks that were humanly provoked in 2010. So why can the public not have data on how many people have been killed by police officers in the United States? Is the problem with society, or is it with the police force? There are many questions that need to be answered. With all of the current situations in the world, it is surprising that researchers can not completely figure out why the police agencies and government does not keep data on the number
The reality is, that is a very large possibility. Not all police officers are in the wrong, and not all police officers are perfect. But with today’s technology, it is a lot harder for cops to “bend the truth” a little bit or vise­versa. It is now legal (in Illinois at least) to video tape a police officer. Whether is is him/her on a phone, not wearing a seat belt, harassing someone, or just a routine traffic stop, you have the right to record them. In an article on this issue, it is said, “...officers were enraged to know that people are taping them” (Appuzo and
Williams). Again, this is not referring to all police officers, just a select few. Some could look at it in a way that is insulting, or some could look at it in a way that is harmful to their image. To be completely honest, if someone one were to be put in the position of a police officer, they may not want to be recorded either. The only difference is, police officers and other government officials can keep their recordings a secret, but the public can expose their recordings to the world via social media or texting or whatever it may be. But citizens look at video recording as a way
People who have been exposed to this stuff more than most people say that officers have an advantage most of the time; “‘Everyone in this business knows that cops have been given the benefit of the doubt’ said Hugh F. Keefe, a connecticut lawyer who has defended several police

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officers accused of misconduct” (Appuzo and Williams). Back in the day, police officers we the ones you could go and seek for help, or just rely on to always be there. Now a days, no one really calls the police unless it is an absolute emergency. Maybe it is society’s fault, or maybe it is the police force’s or government’s fault. Society may have very well lost faith in the police forces.
The reasons may be unknown, but in the present time, it would not be surprising.
In addition to the advancement in technology, media is covering much more of the shootings. With no data being brought forth on the number of police shootings, it is hard to tell whether or not media coverage has expanded the relevance of police shootings or if they really have increased within the recent years. It is no question that one can turn on the television at any given time of the day and find some sort of news broadcast whether it be local, national, or