Since the beginning of this year, police in the United States have killed 745 people, says a new report.

That means that police are on track to kill around 1,200 people in 2015 “if the slayings continue at the same pace” through the remainder of the year.

Some states stand out, says the report, which comes from Mapping Police Violence:

  • In California, police killed over two dozen people in those 40 days. Since mid-July, California’s count has risen at a rate of nearly five killings per week, from 95 to 121.
  • Texas officers killed 17 people over the same time frame, rising from 64 killings to 81. Florida police killed seven, for a total of 50 deaths this year.
  • Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont all continue to have a year free of police killings.

 

Police killings U.S. in 2015

Here’s some more food for thought from this new report:

Some states are killing many times more individuals on an absolute basis than entire countries are. In Norway, which has a population of 5.2 million, police have shot dead just two people since 2002, firing their guns just 33 times since then, and not at all in 2007. In Arizona, population 6.7 million, police killed 31 people so far this year alone.

About the Author