[–] KleanRider 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago
You don't have to feel bad about agreeing with Huffpost since that is actually a repost, OP was csmonitor.
[–] RedditDead2005-2015 3 points -1 points 2 points (+2|-3) ago
It mostly has to do with U.S. gun laws. When a suspect pulls a gun, you either shoot to kill or be killed. There are a lot more options if the suspect has no weapons or uses a weapon other than a gun.
[–] KleanRider ago (edited ago)
I think it has to do with the indigenous population you are dealing with not gun laws or anything else. Brazil has 2212 killed by police in '13 to America's 409 in '12 (source). In Brazil it is illegal to carry outside your home and minimum age is 25 to own so yeah, it 100% isn't gun laws.
It has a lot to do with the reputation of American police and prisons. Many people fear being killed by police(and rightly so) and will fight to survive. And the thought of being incarcerated in American prisons also causes people to fight for survival. Americans are taught about freedom and liberty from a very young age. Would you give them up without a fight? Police are also known to shoot unarmed citizens, and then get a paid vacation. Videos on the internet show many instances of police abusing their power, and then covering up the abuse by filing bogus charges. More and more citizens have come to the conclusion that surrendering to police is worse than anything else they can do.
I'd attribute it more to police training, rather than gun laws. I agree that if an officer thinks its unlikely that a suspect might have a gun they will use better reasoning. However, I still think that our police officers should receive better training on how to deal with stressful situations and deal with a variety of people. Too often it feels like they rely on authority and intimidation to try and solve problems, rather than dealing with the person in a calm or reasonable manner. Not saying they should bend over backwards all the time, but they're supposed to serve the community, not scare it straight.
[–] Vicious_Cycle 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
The root cause is that other countries don't have the same racial dynamic that the US does.
[–] Lenor 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago
Or because american cops are too fat to run after a suspect so they just shoot.