This guy joined the force after allegedly storming the Capitol

[MarcATL]

He was just arrested...

John Carl and other rioters surrounded police officers near a set of stairs leading to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a recent criminal complaint. When officers tried to move Carl back, he resisted and grabbed an officer’s baton, federal prosecutors said.

Carl breached the Capitol that afternoon and entered Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)’s office, the complaint said. He told a friend that police officers prevented further entry into the building, prosecutors said, so he exited the Capitol and later returned to his North Carolina home.

A few years later, Carl became a police officer himself in Pinetops, N.C., about 50 miles east of Raleigh.

However, Carl was suspended from his job after his arrest Thursday for his alleged actions during the Jan. 6 insurrection, Pinetops’s outside attorney, J. Brian Pridgen, said in a statement to The Washington Post. Carl, 41, was charged with a felony count of civil disorder and misdemeanors of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, picketing and demonstrating in a Capitol building. If convicted of the felony, he could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/08/20/january-6-capitol-riot-police-arrest/

How many police officers are running around the country unhinged as this guy?

That's the problem we face, and it's a big problem.

 

[IM2]

“84% of police officers have stated in a recent survey that they have directly witnessed a fellow officer using more force than was necessary.” “52% of police officers report that it is not unusual for law enforcement officials to turn a blind eye to the improper conduct of other officers.” “61% of police officers state they do not always report serious abuse that has been directly observed by fellow officers.” 43% of police offers agree with this sentiment: “Always following the rules is not compatible with the need to get their job done.”

“From 2006 to 2012, there were approximately 51,000 emergency department visits per year for patients injured by law enforcement in the United States.”

“On average police kill 1,000 people annually, but less than 2 percent of the police doing the shooting are prosecuted for murder.”

Yes, there is a problem.

 

[Yarddog]

“84% of police officers have stated in a recent survey that they have directly witnessed a fellow officer using more force than was necessary.” “52% of police officers report that it is not unusual for law enforcement officials to turn a blind eye to the improper conduct of other officers.” “61% of police officers state they do not always report serious abuse that has been directly observed by fellow officers.” 43% of police offers agree with this sentiment: “Always following the rules is not compatible with the need to get their job done.”

“From 2006 to 2012, there were approximately 51,000 emergency department visits per year for patients injured by law enforcement in the United States.”

“On average police kill 1,000 people annually, but less than 2 percent of the police doing the shooting are prosecuted for murder.”

Yes, there is a problem.

OK well I would agree there is a problem when any innocent civilian is killed by over reacting police. It should always be corrected. You need to add some context to your numbers though. What percentage of cops do you want arrested for murder? When looking at police interactions and there is a shooting, you also have to look at the root causes of those interactions. Its not usually just a poor woman holding a pot of boiling water.

In reality the majority of those injured or killed are armed and then look at the crime rates below that.
There are 149,000 assaults involving handguns, there are 44,000 robberies involving handguns. Do you think that some of your numbers might overlap with some of these Police calls? This doesnt even include other calls police go to that can be violent involving knives or other weapons.

Fixing the problems IS important, but completely re-imagioning the police might be reckless.... defunding them, cutting their resources and staff only burdens and drops the morale of those officers who remain.. thus leading to even more mistakes... even more burned out cops.
I will agree though as we have seen in some high profile cases, cops can be over zealous and over react. Those who are not up to the job should be weeded out.



According to a 2024 paper by Ward, police in the United States shoot and injure around 800 people each year. A 2024 study by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions and Vanderbilt University found that from 2015 to 2020, an average of 1,769 people were injured in police shootings, with 55% of those injuries resulting in death. The study also found that 84% of victims were armed with a weapon, such as a firearm, knife, or vehicle.


Research has also found that Black and male victims are disproportionately injured in police shootings. Additionally, nonfatal shootings are more likely to occur in communities with high rates of violent crime, poverty, food insecurity, and mental health crises.


Here are some statistics on robberies and armed assaults in the United States:

• Robberies
  In 2022, there were 44,086 robberies in the US that involved a handgun, and 11,797 that involved a knife or other cutting instrument. The robbery rate in 2022 was 66.1 cases per 100,000 people, which is a significant decrease from 1990, when the rate was 257 cases per 100,000 people. The FBI defines robbery as taking or attempting to take something of value from someone by force, threat of force, or violence.
  
  
• Assaults
  In 2022, there were over 1.6 million assaults in the US that involved personal weapons, such as hands, fists, or feet, and 149,516 aggravated assaults that involved handguns. The aggravated assault rate in 2022 was 268.2 cases per 100,000 people, which was a slight decrease from 2021, when the rate was 272.2 cases per 100,000 people. In 2023, the aggravated assault rate was 8% higher than in 2019, but fell by 3% from 2022 to 2023.