Reference no: EM133342395
Assignment:
In 2011, there were 62.9 million persons aged 16 and older who had contact with the police (Langton & Durose, 2013). Of those 62.9 million encounters, 404 were fatalities (resulting in loss of life by the police). Yet, when we look at the media, the deadly police-citizen encounters are ubiquitous.
In the last few years, riots, reminiscent of the 1960s, erupted in cities such as Charlotte, North Carolina; Ferguson, Missouri; and Baltimore, Maryland as a result of the deaths of citizens at the hands of the police.
DeGue, Fowler, and Calkins (2016) examined this phenomenon in their article, Deaths Due to Use of Lethal Force by Law Enforcement: Findings from the National Violent Death Reporting System, 17 U.S. States, 2009-2012.
What is the reality about deaths resulting from the lethal force by the police versus the perception of the same perpetuated in the media? Identify three elements from the data that surprised you. How does the data from DeGue et al.'s work compare to your expectations or opinions about police-citizen encounters and citizen deaths in custody/at the hands of the police?