Dave - I agree with you; Data and statistics are often used as propaganda. In my experience, you have to dig into data sets to make sense of them. For example, among the most dangerous jobs in America, police work does NOT make the top ten list.
The mis-use of data and statistics has consequences - the oft-heard “I was afraid for …
Dave - I agree with you; Data and statistics are often used as propaganda. In my experience, you have to dig into data sets to make sense of them. For example, among the most dangerous jobs in America, police work does NOT make the top ten list.
The mis-use of data and statistics has consequences - the oft-heard “I was afraid for my life” suggests perception errors rather than reality. In policing these perception errors are far more lethal than reality.
Logging is the “Number 1” most dangerous job in America. For loggers the rate of death and injuries is 135.9 per 100,000.
The next 9 most dangerous jobs in America are in construction, farming, ranching, steel workers, truck and delivery drivers, trash, airplane pilots, roofers and landscaping. In these nine professions, transportation (lots of vehicle travel) is the number one cause of work-related deaths and injuries.
Law enforcement officers patrol our freeways, highways and streets daily, but road workers have a higher rate of death and injury than police officers.
The rate of death and injuries among police officers is 14.6 per 100,000. However, unlike the top ten most dangerous jobs, data on police officer deaths includes Covid, heart attacks and 9/11 related health illness.
Domestic Violence is the most dangerous calls police answer – the highest rate of both death and injury. However, the highest rates of “Domestic Violence” in any profession, is among law enforcement officers themselves. 40% of officer families have experienced domestic violence. That’s well above the 10% of the population as a whole.
The military also has a high rate of “Domestic Violence”. Combat veterans are responsible for almost 21% of domestic violence reports.
33.7% of prison guards report knowing at least one officer who committed an UN-reported act of domestic violence.
Using national statistics is dishonest – at best. State statistics tell a more accurate story. For example, in 2021 these states have the highest number of LEO deaths.
51 in Texas this year – 48 died of Covid
32 in Florida 32 deaths – 27 died of Covid
19 in Louisiana - 14 died of Covid and 3 died in vehicle crashes
17 in California– 8 died of Covid
14 in New Jersey – all 14 died of Covid and health problems
10 in Illinois – including Chicago – 9 died of Covid and 1 died in a car crash
6 in New York – 2 died of Covid, 2 died by vehicle, 1 died of 9/11 health related illness and 1 drowned
In 2019, before Covid, there were 25 officer deaths in all of New York state – 23 died of 9/11 related illness and 1 was shot by another officer.
In 2020, during both Covid and BLM protests, Minnesota and Oregon had zero police officer deaths.
Police data is lumped in with Law Enforcement data which includes probation, prisons, jails, FBI, border patrol, customs and immigration, highway patrol, sheriffs, police departments, homeland security, state and national parks services, department of defense (military police), Parks and Wildlife – plus police departments maintained by entities incorporated as jurisdictions such as school districts and gated communities.
In my mind, we suffer such severe perception errors, we are incapable of identifying genuine threats and dangers. The result is the death of innocents.
In reality, black people do, in fact, bear the heaviest burden.
Actually I think that you got the point of my comment even though you seem to be taking issue with it. *** It is so bad I've started to question all statistics and how they are stated since you can make them "prove" anything you wish if you state them right. *** Your 2nd to last paragraph makes me positive you got my point since there you are agreeing with it. As for the last sentence that you wrote, no kidding. I hope you didn't so misread what I wrote that you think I don't see that.
I was not trying to claim that police work is the most dangerous job and I just did an article on Medium that pointed out the difference in killed in the line of duty and shot dead in the line of duty upon statistics. I left that out of my reply here in hopes that in the spirit of what I wrote someone would catch it.
Quibbling over the difference in per capita rates on the order of 0.0006% is making a mountain out of a mole hill for political purpose. You are more likely to die in a crash driving on a road full of idiots than from driving while black on a road with cops. Mixing proving anything with the way you use statistics with a lack of proportionality and perspective takes us down a bad road to the land of bad ideas.
Thanks for reading and thinking about my comments though what the most dangerous jobs in America are is a different subject. I was writing about different truthful expressions of data can be used to support ideas in opposition.
Dave - I agree with you; Data and statistics are often used as propaganda. In my experience, you have to dig into data sets to make sense of them. For example, among the most dangerous jobs in America, police work does NOT make the top ten list.
The mis-use of data and statistics has consequences - the oft-heard “I was afraid for my life” suggests perception errors rather than reality. In policing these perception errors are far more lethal than reality.
Logging is the “Number 1” most dangerous job in America. For loggers the rate of death and injuries is 135.9 per 100,000.
The next 9 most dangerous jobs in America are in construction, farming, ranching, steel workers, truck and delivery drivers, trash, airplane pilots, roofers and landscaping. In these nine professions, transportation (lots of vehicle travel) is the number one cause of work-related deaths and injuries.
Law enforcement officers patrol our freeways, highways and streets daily, but road workers have a higher rate of death and injury than police officers.
The rate of death and injuries among police officers is 14.6 per 100,000. However, unlike the top ten most dangerous jobs, data on police officer deaths includes Covid, heart attacks and 9/11 related health illness.
Domestic Violence is the most dangerous calls police answer – the highest rate of both death and injury. However, the highest rates of “Domestic Violence” in any profession, is among law enforcement officers themselves. 40% of officer families have experienced domestic violence. That’s well above the 10% of the population as a whole.
The military also has a high rate of “Domestic Violence”. Combat veterans are responsible for almost 21% of domestic violence reports.
33.7% of prison guards report knowing at least one officer who committed an UN-reported act of domestic violence.
Using national statistics is dishonest – at best. State statistics tell a more accurate story. For example, in 2021 these states have the highest number of LEO deaths.
51 in Texas this year – 48 died of Covid
32 in Florida 32 deaths – 27 died of Covid
19 in Louisiana - 14 died of Covid and 3 died in vehicle crashes
17 in California– 8 died of Covid
14 in New Jersey – all 14 died of Covid and health problems
10 in Illinois – including Chicago – 9 died of Covid and 1 died in a car crash
6 in New York – 2 died of Covid, 2 died by vehicle, 1 died of 9/11 health related illness and 1 drowned
In 2019, before Covid, there were 25 officer deaths in all of New York state – 23 died of 9/11 related illness and 1 was shot by another officer.
In 2020, during both Covid and BLM protests, Minnesota and Oregon had zero police officer deaths.
Police data is lumped in with Law Enforcement data which includes probation, prisons, jails, FBI, border patrol, customs and immigration, highway patrol, sheriffs, police departments, homeland security, state and national parks services, department of defense (military police), Parks and Wildlife – plus police departments maintained by entities incorporated as jurisdictions such as school districts and gated communities.
In my mind, we suffer such severe perception errors, we are incapable of identifying genuine threats and dangers. The result is the death of innocents.
In reality, black people do, in fact, bear the heaviest burden.
Actually I think that you got the point of my comment even though you seem to be taking issue with it. *** It is so bad I've started to question all statistics and how they are stated since you can make them "prove" anything you wish if you state them right. *** Your 2nd to last paragraph makes me positive you got my point since there you are agreeing with it. As for the last sentence that you wrote, no kidding. I hope you didn't so misread what I wrote that you think I don't see that.
I was not trying to claim that police work is the most dangerous job and I just did an article on Medium that pointed out the difference in killed in the line of duty and shot dead in the line of duty upon statistics. I left that out of my reply here in hopes that in the spirit of what I wrote someone would catch it.
Quibbling over the difference in per capita rates on the order of 0.0006% is making a mountain out of a mole hill for political purpose. You are more likely to die in a crash driving on a road full of idiots than from driving while black on a road with cops. Mixing proving anything with the way you use statistics with a lack of proportionality and perspective takes us down a bad road to the land of bad ideas.
Thanks for reading and thinking about my comments though what the most dangerous jobs in America are is a different subject. I was writing about different truthful expressions of data can be used to support ideas in opposition.
I am replying to myself. I meant to post this as a reply to Dave. Sorry.