Police in the U.S. kill at a rate 30X higher than non-police

Police in the United States kill at a rate 30 times higher than non-police. That statement, made by economist Edward Stringham during his conversation with Anarchast host Jeff Berwick, is telling.

Perhaps it’s not too fantastical for readers of CopBlock.org, who are intimately familiar with endless examples of police employee aggression. And maybe it’s not even too surprising for others who are starting to see through the thin blue line propaganda. But for those who still unthinkingly parrot the mantra that a stranger with a badge is automatically a “hero,” it should be a wake up call.

Edward Stringham: And I also calculated the cop kill rate against citizens. And it’s actually tremendous. If you calculate it, it’s around 150 deaths for every 100,000 cops per year. If you compare that to private, individual kill rates in the United States, it’s like 30 times lower. So it’s really unfortunate the amount of people who get killed in the United States by cops. So the idea that they’re there to protect people — that’s something we can question.

The perspective put-forth by Stringham is being reinforced by the efforts of Fatal Encounters, who have already documented over 18,000 people killed by U.S. police since 2000. Review the details, sign-up for their emails, and donate to help their efforts, at FatalEncounters.org.

The first step to change this situation is education. That’s why Stringham’s comments and the work of the Fatal Encounters team are cited here.

As an aside, Stringham edited a superb book called Anarchy and the Law: The Political Economy of Choice. A collection of essays that present various viewpoints on issues of law, security, and protection, I found the content thought-provoking. More information about the book, which is included at CopBlock.org/Library, can be found at GoogleBooks, at Mises.org, and at Amazon.com.

Watch Stringham’s full Anarchast interview: