Causes of Civilians Deaths - By Agency

Harris County, Texas 1997 - 2001

Known data as reported by local media

There were at least 130 deaths at the hands of various law enforcement agencies in Harris County, Texas, from January 1995 through April 2002. This includes deaths in custody, car crashes, jailhouse and other "suicides," etc. The Houston Police Department reportedly shot and killed 54 "suspects" in the past 5 years; the total number killed nearly triples when ALL deaths are considered. According to data compiled by the Washington Post concerning shootings by the nation’s 50 largest police departments, from 1990 to 2000 the Harris County Sheriff’s Department ranked first in the nation in the number of fatal shootings, with 3.47 fatalities per 1,000 violent crimes; the Houston Police Department ranked second, with 2.76 fatal shootings per 1,000 violent crimes. Houston Chronicle 11/04/2001 The Detroit Free Press calculated fatal shootings on the basis of the FBI's standard measure, 100,000 residents. Detroit had a rate of 0.92 fatal shootings per 100,000 residents, towering over New York's rate of 0.39 and Los Angeles' 0.56. Houston ranked second in the nation with 0.68. May 15, 2000 — By: David Ashenfelter and Joe Swickard Detroit Free Press, Staff Writers OCCUPATIONS MORE DANGEROUS THAN BEING A POLICE OFFICER: Number of deaths per 100,000 employed Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics-Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries - 2008 Fishermen: 112.0 Logging workers: 87.0 Aircraft pilots: 67.0 Iron and steelworkers: 45.0 Farmers and ranchers: 38.0 Garbage collectors: 36.8 Roofers: 34.4 Electrical power line installation/repair: 29.8 Truck drivers: 22.8 Oil and gas extraction: 21.9 Police officers and Deputies: 21.4* Taxi drivers: 19.3 Drinking establishment employees: 17.0 Construction workers: 16.0 Grounds maintenance: 11.9 Welders: 10.5 Electricians: 8.3 Gas station attendant: 7.5 Firefighters: 6.9 Auto mechanics: 5.0 Newspaper publishers: 4.8 Carpenters: 4.7 Janitors: 3.1 Retail sales: 1.5 * A high percentage of police officers deaths involve traffic accidents and not wearing a "seat belt." FBI In many cases of police brutality that the FBI investigates, only a small fraction ever receive indictments, and even fewer result in a conviction. In 1996, the FBI reviewed 10,129 civil rights cases, and only 0.2% were filed for prosecution. The prosecution rate for police abuse cases is less than 1% of those investigated. So even if a complaint makes it to the FBI, it is very unlikely to lead to a conviction. This is a classic scenario of 'the wolf guarding the fox that's guarding the hen house.' Is it dangerous to be a cop? FBI reports show that in 2000, 51 police officers were killed in the United States. Out of the hundreds of thousands of law enforcement personnel, this means less than 1/10 of 1% are at risk, thereby making law enforcement personnel one of the safest class of citizens in the United States. On the other hand, nearly one in two civilian women in the United States has either been raped, assaulted, or beaten during domestic violence during their lives. Court records show police officers are four (4) times more likely to commit acts of domestic violence, than any other group -- however, they rarely are arrested because their friends respond to the scene of the crime. According to the Department of Labor, the on-the-job fatality rate for police is lower than that for gardeners, electricians, truck drivers, garbage collectors, construction workers, airline pilots, timber cutters, and commercial fisherman. In fact, fishermen have an occupational fatality rate that is fifteen times higher than that for cops, but rarely do we hear those who provide us with an endless supply of mahi-mahi described as heroes. (See Selling the Police: Reflections on Heroism and Hype in America,Tim Wise; http://zmag.org) DEATHS WHILE IN CUSTODY An excerpt from HR 1659, a bill introduced in Congress by Jose Serrano in 1999. The Collection of Data on Deaths While In Custody An estimated 1000 men and women die questionable deaths each year while in police custody or in jail. A number of deaths that occur in state and local jails are ruled suicides, but that determination is often tainted by inadequate record-keeping, investigative incompetence, and physical evidence that suggests otherwise. In addition, many of the individuals listed as 'suicides' had been arrested for relatively minor offenses--greatly reducing their incentive to take their own lives. The FY 1998 Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Appropriations Act directed the Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice to determine the feasibility of creating a single source for annual statistics on in-custody deaths--including federal, state and local incidents. The provision directs the Attorney General to develop guidelines for the reporting of deaths in custody and requires that at a minimum, the report include (1) the name of the deceased; (2) the gender of the deceased; (3) the ethnicity of the deceased; (4) the age of the deceased; (5) the date, time and location of the death; and (6) a brief description of the circumstances surrounding the death. The FY 1998 Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Appropriations Act directed the Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice to determine the feasibility of creating a single source for annual statistics on in-custody deaths--including federal, state and local incidents. In March 1998, DOJ reported that this goal is achievable. As H.R. 1659 deals with the issue of police accountability, the committee believes it is appropriate to require that these statistics be reported. HIGH SPEED PURSUITS There are 250,000 police pursuits annually nationwide. Each year, about 500 deaths occur in speed pursuits; an average of one death a day during a high speed pursuit. At 100 MPH, the impact of a vehicle crash is comparable to a 30-story drop of a 2,000 pound object. Overall, 57,000 persons are killed or severely injured annually in the United States alone. One in four pursuits result in a crash; the majority of high speed drivers are males 18 to 25 years old; chases have lasted from one minute to several hours; covered a space of 100 yards to 200 miles. Deaths resulting from high speed chase incidents exceed deaths related to police discharge of firearms annually. The highest incidents of high speed chases and fatalities occur in metro Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Houston and Chicago. Los Angeles recorded 7,000 police pursuits; 1,200 injuries to innocent victims; another 980 injuries to police officers in the latest annual statistics. Los Angeles has one deadly pursuit every 4 1/2 hours; resulting in 1,000 deaths and injuries a year. One-third of all high speed chases deaths are innocent bystanders. About 10 percent of high speed chases are begun by felons while the vast majority begin from a simple traffic stop for a minor infraction. OFFICER-INVOLVED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE A 1994 nationwide survey conducted by the Arlington, TX police department and the Southwestern Law Enforcement Institute of the Southwest Legal Foundation found that 123 police departments (serving populations of over 100,000) 45.3% had no specific policy for dealing with officer-involved domestic violence. And, only 19% of police departments have a policy of terminating police officers who are repeat domestic violence offenders.1 In a more recent study, preliminary results indicate that only four major city police departments have written policies on the handling of police family violence cases.2 According to a study by Chief John Feltgen in Broward County, FL, "with disturbing frequency, domestic violence calls made from the officer's homes dead-ended without a report or real investigation."3 1. "Domestic Violence Among Police: A Survey of Internal Affairs Policies." Prepared by the Arlington, TX Police Department and the Southwestern Law Enforcement Institute, 1995. 2. International Association of Chiefs of Police; Major City Chiefs Committee, Report Forthcoming. 3. A. Levinson, "Abusers Behind a Badge", Arizona Republic. June 29, 1997, F11.