First – our annual POLICE REFORM budget is $196-Billion. This is the current yearly total for state and local government operating costs for policing ($115-Billion) and prisons ($81-Billion).
America’s total annual “criminal justice” system costs taxpayers, in excess of $750-Billion (including local, state and federal courts, policing, prisons, jails, holding centers border patrol and drug enforcement, pensions, benefits and facility construction and maintenance costs).
To put this in perspective, the 2020 military budget is $686-Billion
American taxpayers currently employ 800,000 police officers and 400,000 corrections officers (1.2-Million people).
To maintain perspective, there are 1.3-Million active duty military personnel –only 193,442 stationed overseas in 150 different countries.
In 1970, 338,000 Americans were in prison. Today, 2.3-million Americans are in prison. That’s one million more Americans in prison today, than our entire military! Worse yet, on average, we pay our soldiers less than a third as much as police officers. Even worse, Americans spend three times as much to keep one inmate in prison, than we pay our soldiers. WTF is wrong with us?
Wait. I am not done. You’ve heard of Oakland. Remember Fruitvale Station? Let’s look at Oakland. While resident’s average income is $32,566. and 23.61% of the population is black, hundreds of Oakland police officers earn… wait for it…. over $320,000. a year. Can someone please give me something to say, besides WTF?
While the national median salary for police officers is $60, 270., when overtime pay, other pay, benefits and pensions are included it is closer to California crazy.
Policing is a dangerous job – right? How dangerous is it? Remember, in police shootings, officers claim they “feared for their lives”. Now, how many of those 800,000 officers do you think are shot and killed each year? Just guess. Give me a number.
Answer: In America, Covid has killed three times as many officers as gunfire this year (120 to date). As of today, October 10, 2020, 37 officers died from gunfire. In 2017, it was 45. In 2018, it was 52. In 2019, it was 48.
The Officer Down Memorial Page tracks the death of police, prison guards, fish and game wardens, border patrol agents and even one officer overseas.https://www.odmp.org/search/year/2020
Please read every story to learn the details of these deaths. For example, one officer cut down a tree, then went to work and had a heart attack. Four officers were shot and killed by other officers. Officers died in car accidents on their way to work. A boiler burst in a prison and killed a guard. 9/11 illness related deaths are included. Police officers’ poor physical condition cause a troubling number of heart attacks, asthma and obesity related deaths. Red Flags are waving over deaths occurring during physical fitness tests and training exercises. Every police officer I’ve known has said the exact same thing. Domestic Violence are the most dangerous calls police officers respond to – ever.
To sum up, 800,000 officers are policing Americans, while 194,000 American soldiers are protecting us – from the world.
American policing is a clear and tragic failure. One of the first steps in police reform are publicly accessible data bases for every police and prison guard in every state – like this one - https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2018/compton/
Policing is a local issue. We elect our city council members and county supervisors, and they are responsible for the police.
Don’t ask Trump or Biden, get in your car, drive to city hall and ask your council members for their police reform plan. Ask your city manager to put it on the council’s agenda, then show up and ask the whole council in public. Go on-line and learn how local government works, then run for city council or supervisor. You have a good chance too. Over 75% of Americans can’t name even one of their city council members or county supervisors.
We have work to do.
