Statistics can often be very useful when trying to bring perspective. But just as often, the numbers can be manipulated to hide serious problems. What follows is just one example of this.
I recently watched a video originating on YouTube that a friend posted to FaceBook. It was a textbook example of how statistics can be used irresponsibly to mask what is clearly a serious issue. Using data from 2012, the video sought to bring some perspective to the increased focus on police brutality that began with the killing of Michael Brown and most recently reached a boiling point when Freddie Gray died while in police custody. It failed miserably. First, it sets things up by using some basic math to inform people of the ratio of peace officers to citizens based on population (2.5 police for every 1,000 people, just for the record). Then it goes on to provide statistics on the number of documented complaints of police brutality and how many were confirmed. At about the 2:02 mark, the narrator compares the number of confirmed cases of police brutality to the number of people who were murdered and raped during the same time period. He triumphantly states, “to put things in perspective, you are 15 times more likely to be murdered, and 42 times more likely to be raped . . . probably not by a cop.”
I just about lost my mind. The makers of the video seem very comfortable telling us that since the levels of police brutality don’t yet rise to the those of other felonies committed by criminals, we should rest easy. Is that our standard now?! Given that police officers are responsible for protecting us, the expectation is that the bar should be set pretty high to begin with. Zero tolerance should be a matter of policy. They shouldn’t be hanging their hats on the fact that we are far more likely to get killed by a criminal than to get abused or killed by them.
The method of data collection that serves as the basis for this analysis is also very flawed. By casting such a wide net and including areas where police brutality may not be an issue historically, the overall numbers become diluted. And the fact that police brutality tends to get under reported was not mentioned. The creators also make no attempt to address demographics. In effect, we are led to believe that someone of color living in any city with a history of police brutality is no more likely to experience it than a white person living in, say North Platte, NE. It’s a completely ridiculous conclusion to draw, but that’s what they want you to believe. Now,it's true that collecting this kind of data in order to present an unbiased view is not easy by any means. The opposite result would be to cherry pick results from specific cities and attempting to make those results representative of the whole country. Nevertheless, those who collected the data should have felt obligated to at least mention the limitations in pulling together the numbers. That would have at least given it some fair balance.
This video was created by the Freeway Patrol Media Relations Office. My first reaction was “Okay, how high does the number of confirmed cases of police brutality have to get before it rises to a level of being a serious issue?” Now, I realize that there are a lot of really good police officers out there, and not everyone they encounter is going be a model citizen. But the video completely misses the point. Most people who see it will note the small percentages of confirmed cases of excessive force, shrug their shoulders, and become disengaged because in their minds, it is not a big deal.
They couldn't be more wrong. The time has come for this country to acknowledge that it still has a race problem when it comes to law enforcement. Anyone who doesn't see that is kidding themselves. In the cases of Michael Brown, Freddie Gray and all the other African Americans who have died in police custody, the video does nothing more than trivialize their deaths, and that is unconscionable. Law enforcement officers are trained to protect and serve their communities. While the large majority of them strive to do it the right way, we are seeing a disturbing number of cases where the police have lost the trust of their communities because they have abused their power. This could be due to hubris or a lack of proper training. Either way, it’s unacceptable. I am not willing to wait until the number of confirmed cases of police brutality reaches some arbitrary number before people decide to act. The time to act is now.
So what are we going to do about it? First of all, serious consideration needs to be given to raising the standards that need to be met for becoming a police officer in the first place. It all starts with getting a stronger read on a candidate’s psychological profile. This world is becoming more complex every day. Those who have been tasked with protecting our citizens need to have the coping skills to deal with stressful situations and prevent them from escalating. If they can’t do that, they just aren't suited to be police officers. Granted, there are really good ones out there who far exceed the standards that have been set. But I am very fearful that there are way too many who decided to become police officers for all the wrong reasons. These are the ones whose true colors show when they are put under even the slightest amount of duress. Their instinct is to violently assert their authority (even if they are dealing with someone who is unarmed) and the results are often tragic as we have seen over the last several months.
The second thing that needs to be done is for law enforcement to make a concerted effort to connect with the communities they serve. That means more than just having a presence. It means full-on engagement. I value police officers who are totally dialed into what is happening in their neighborhoods. They know the small business owners and what their concerns might be. They maintain a consistent and meaningful presence in order to keep the criminal element in check. Most importantly, they understand how to keep a situation from escalating out of control, and they use appropriate force as a last resort. At the end of the day, it’s all about trust. And it’s fair to say that right now in several parts of the country, a significant trust gap exists between the police and the communities in which they serve.
Finally, it's time to look at how police officers are being trained. I recently saw a shocking video of an unarmed suspect being pursued by the police who was shot multiple times while running away. Let me say that again. The police shot an unarmed man in the back who was at least 20 yards away from them running in the other direction. He posed no physical threat to them at that time. That individual died before the ambulance arrived. I wonder how many times that has happened where it wasn't caught on tape? Police officers today should be able to subdue unarmed suspects without killing them, and they should be trained on multiple ways to accomplish this. I can appreciate that they have a dangerous job, and that it is not easy. But that's what they signed up for when they joined the force. If they can't do it the right way, they need to be held accountable.
I happen to be a big numbers guy. I like that statistics can be a very powerful tool and enjoy looking at data to draw specific conclusions from sound analysis. But I don't need to tell you that data can easily be manipulated, as was the case in this video. And it is very important for all of us to realize when that happens so we can call out those who use statistics to trivialize serious issues. If we don’t, it will only serve to compound these problems, and I for one, can do without that.
P.S. I was trying to include the link for the video with no luck. If you would like to view it an then offer an opinion, go to YouTube and search on "Freeway Patrol, Police Brutality." It's about three minutes long.
5:50 PM PT: I did manage to post the link in a comment I made below in case anyone would like to watch. It's just short of three minutes long.