Police Shooting Stats

Marisa Demarco [ Tue Sep 28 2010 4:21 PM ]

Last week, in reaction to our Copwatch feature, we got a letter asking us to compare national numbers of officer-involved shootings with local numbers. I’m not sure how useful an analysis like that would be. Every city is different. I did manage to track down the Albuquerque Police Department’s record since 2004. Here’s what it looks like:

2004: 4 shootings, 2 fatal

2005: 3 shootings, 2 fatal

2006: 5 shootings, 1 fatal

2007: 8 shootings, 4 fatal

2008: 5 shootings, 2 fatal

2009: 6 shootings, 3 fatal

2010: 11 shootings, 7 fatal

The news desk also is working on a story examining officer-involved shootings in similarly sized cities, their rates of violent crime and their police training techniques. Look for a follow-up in the coming weeks.

Public Comments (10)

- Pattriot
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- Since 2010-04-16
- West-side Albuquerque
- Posts: 233
Police-shootings = correct answer? [ Tue Sep 28 2010 10:39 PM ]

What is the correct number of annual officer-shootings, Marisa; more or less? Maybe while you are researching it, you'll let us and APD know. If I'm about to be victimized, I'll know what the quota has left me; kind of like counting cards in Blackjack, so I'll know what the odds are and if an officer will be interested in saving me from a bully, thug or drug-ravaged zombie.
Is it possible that in 2003 when the officer-shootings were the lowest that the Police Dept, wasn't actually doing their job? Just askin'.
Regards
Mike
- miha
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The right number of shootings [ Wed Sep 29 2010 8:50 AM ]

is 0.
- The Mighty Martian
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- Roswell, N.M.
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So if I charge at your wielding a knife [ Wed Sep 29 2010 10:28 AM ]

you'll sit there and wait to get stabbed? Sweet.
- joowan1
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Nah, I'd rather you put that training and that taser to use [ Wed Sep 29 2010 11:13 AM ]

Because that's why they gave you training to deal with situations that include someone wielding a knife so that you act like someone who was trained to deal with this situation instead of shooting to kill? Or how about that taser right next to your gun on your belt? Why not grab for that first instead of your gun especially if there is another officer right beside you who can do the same? Trigger happy police going wild in my city makes me feel just as safe as having someone walking around with a knife. At least the knife wielding person has an excuse of being mentally ill.
- The Mighty Martian
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- Roswell, N.M.
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I think it's completely naïve [ Wed Sep 29 2010 1:06 PM ]

to assume that these cops are willingly venturing out and inflicting terror on our poor, unassuming community with gun in hand. Taking someone's life is something that weighs on your conscience for the rest of your time, and to think the police force is filled with men and women that intentionally seek out that kind of guilt is a little bit sophomoric.
Think about those numbers posted above, in relation to how many apprehensions, arrests and calls police answer to in a given year, citywide. I think it's a shockingly low statistic, especially for an incredibly crime-ridden city like Albuquerque. This may sound extremely Libertarian of me, but personal responsibility must come into play here. If you're told repeatedly to drop a weapon as you're surrounded by one or more cops wielding loaded guns, and your first instinct is to charge at them WITH said weapon instead of DROPPING the damned thing, I'm sorry, but you reap what you sow.
Of course there are crooked cops, vengeful cops, hateful cops, etc, but I feel they are the minority in what is one of the most dangerous, underpaid jobs in the country. Kudos to those that put their lives on the line and keep those safe who are doing the right thing.
- pvdl1969
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- Since 2009-02-23
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You give the impression... [ Sun Oct 31 2010 9:31 PM ]

... that you are presenting data and are then going to present a hypothesis, rather than the other way around. To do this correctly and scientifically (and to do a good job of journalism, rather than just presenting one side of the story), you might want to look into every single officer-involved shooting and look at the circumstances of each shooting. Why did the officer use force? Also, you should look at the final ruling: was the use of force ruled justifiable or not?
My recommendation would be to take the APD's Citizen Police Academy course and learn in great detail exactly why police use force, and that there are gradations of force, from use of mace all the way up to shooting to kill. There are reasons they are trained to use force, and you should know that -- in addition to ALL of the details of ALL of the cases you've put in your chart -- before you attempt to write this up as a complete story.
Otherwise, it's about a good as something FOX News would put together, which is to say, badly researched, incomplete, and purposely biased.
- marisa
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@pvd11969 [ Sun Oct 31 2010 11:40 PM ]

Thanks for the input. A letter-writer asked for some stats, and so this was the info we could provide under deadline. Later, Pat Lohmann compared our numbers to those of similarly sized cities with similar crime rates. Read that report here. More reporting to come.
- Pattriot
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- Since 2010-04-16
- West-side Albuquerque
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Resources pvd11969 [ Fri Nov 5 2010 9:30 PM ]

Why would you spend the effort dealing with the first sentence of his post. I spent five minutes with his first statement and it doesn't end with a direct point. And I resent it. Non-sensical, at best, inconclusive. The rest is all over the map. He imagines himself to be an intellectual.
Regards
Mike
PS Marisa
Are you on a higher plane of intelligence than the rest of us?
- PB5000
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cops are all in your head [ Sat Nov 6 2010 10:16 AM ]

We know why the police use force: it is what they are trained to do. "Secure the site." That means everyone submits, whether you are a criminal, accused criminal or unlucky bystander. Police training is an elaborate justification for alpha-type mammalian behavior. "I will dominate you; right now!" There are other models.
You know, the concept of "police" is only about 300 years old. We don't have to imagine a society without police. They have existed, and -- dare I say it? -- thrived.
- Pattriot
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- Since 2010-04-16
- West-side Albuquerque
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Police-shootings redux [ Sat Nov 6 2010 9:05 PM ]

Frankly I don't want to live in a society where Law Enforcement doesn't exist, PB5000. Krystallnacht comes to mind. I don't care if Law Enforcement is only 300 years old in the development of Mankind, if that is the truth. (?) When larger men intend to harm me, the wife or others, I still hope that society will intervene with a proper force. I've been arrested a few times before and I didn't like it, but I support a Police Force anyway.
Regards
Mike