8 years ago
2
6 police officers killed by gunfire this year in Louisiana, more than any other state
More law enforcement officers have been gunned down on the job this year in Louisiana than in any other state, by a long shot. Last week, Louisiana and California tied with the most law enforcement officers killed by gunfire in...
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It's weird that so many have died in Louisiana but this an incredibly low number of deaths for what's considered such a "dangerous" position. Statistically this is an incredibly low number. There's approximately 1 million cops employed in the US and so far 16 have died on the job this year from gunfire. That's about a .0016 % death rate. Not exactly scary numbers for anyone thinking of joining law enforcement.
Meanwhile cops have killed nearly 800 people this year alone so I'm finding it hard to dredge of any kind of pity for them.
I think it's setting up a false dichotomy to claim that because so many people have died at the hands of the police, you can't have pity for the police that die in the line of duty. While there's lots that needs to be improved with the police departments across our country, I still feel sad for the kids whose dad or mom doesn't come home from work because they were killed doing their job.
The fact is, not all police are assholes, and they serve a legitimate purpose in our society. Of course we need to reform the police departments, hold them accountable for their actions, work to demilitarize the police force, and somehow find a solution for institutionalized racism, but those things don't mean you can't have sympathy needless deaths - on both sides of the debate.