The escalation of deadly force by American police is unprecedented when compared to the rest of the first world.
So far this month, American police have killed 113 people.
By contrast, China, whose population is 4 and 1/2 times the size of the United States, recorded 12 killings by law enforcement officers in all of 2014.
More people were killed by American police in just the last thirty days than were killed in 2014 in Germany, England, China, Canada, France, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and Iceland combined.
Anyone see a problem with this?
According to recent reports, the police kill rate is nearly 30 times higher than that of the average citizen. Why?
In an interview with former LAPD cop, Alex Salazar, he explains to The Free Thought Project how police training teaches cops to quickly resort to deadly violence.
A police department in Phoenix, AZ even went so far as to propagandize the citizens by showing them part of this training, which is designed to show them the worst possible situations, leading to their virtual death every time.
It has nothing to do with training. Every recruit, I dont care if theyre an ex-badass Navy Seal everyone dies, said Salazar.
Police are trained over and over again that they should be in constant fear of deadly assaults from all angles. They are essentially being trained to act as an occupying army, operating in America where the citizens are the enemy.
Instead of deadly force being a last resort, its looked at as heroism in the line of duty.
The American people are constantly told how dangerous it is to be a cop. We are steadily reminded via politicians, television, and the mainstream media in general of just how brave those boys in blue are to work in such dangerous conditions. The thin blue line, were told, is akin to storming the beaches at Normandy.
But do these claims of mass danger and death hold water? Is it really necessary to smash an elderly womans face into the ground, so you can make it home to your wife and kids?
The truthful answer to that question is, no. The job of police officer isnt even within the top 10 most dangerous jobs in the country according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The reality is that police officers in America resort to deadly violence so often simply because they can. They are trained to escalate to violence while the American people are trained to accept it. But it doesnt have to be that way.
Recent body cam footage from officers in the United Kingdom was released on Wednesday that shows how reluctant their police are to resort to deadly force. The stark contrast in violent escalation between UK cops and US cops highlights the dangerous overzealous nature of American police.
Northamptonshire resident, Lee Vickers proved to be an especially dangerous man last year after he grabbed a large butcher knife and charged after police. Had he been an American citizen, he would have been immediately killed. He presented a very real and deadly threat, and even non-police officers would have been justified in the use of deadly force against him.
However, two brave police officers disarmed him without harming a hair on his head. The level of restraint exhibited by the two officers in the video below sheds light on the sheer tragedy of so many senseless deaths at the hands of police in the US. Unarmed teenagers, men, and women are constantly being gunned down US cops who are trained to kill first and ask questions later.
How many mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters would still have their families if American police acted more like police in the UK?
For the naysayers who think that Vickers case is an isolated act of heroism, think again. The lack of deadly force is so common by police in European countries that its not only been documented multiple times, but its been caught on film multiple times.
It is high time this country looks closely at the way it trains its police force.
That is not possible in America's culture. I have mentioned many times that maybe the semi auto handguns used by American police are to blame. If cops returned to revolvers maybe they would fire less bullets - I have noticed incidents of cops panic shoot a full clip a lot ever since cops switched to semi-automatic/auto-loading firearms.
Maybe cops should switch to single action and have to pull the hammer back each shot one at a time and maybe that will reduce cops panic firing powpowpowpowpowpow and sometimes I have even read cops keep squeezing the trigger after they run out of bullets.