By Walter B. Levis @ NYDailyNews.com, Aug. 28

[...] Yes, policing needs reform. Yes, racial injustice needs attention. Yes, the system as a whole needs to be examined and fixed. But most civilians fail to understand how policing actually works, and the misunderstanding — particularly about shootings — can leave us with a feeling of tortured helplessness and make it harder to focus on improving the criminal justice system as a whole. Let me explain [....]

[....] Now, consider this: The total number of NYPD uniformed cops in 2018 was 36,484. Of those 6.1 million calls being answered by over 36,000 cops, there were a total 35 incidents in which shots were fired. Slow down and take that in: 35 shooting incidents in all of 2018. That means when a civilian calls the police in New York, more than 99.9% of the time, there’s no shooting by the cops [....]

Police can abuse their power in many ways. George Floyd was killed without a gun being drawn. So was Eric Garner. Stop-and-frisks were daily indignities visited on young Black and Brown men, and a single encounter with a fist or club can leave scars that never fully heal. The courts, the jails, the departments of probation and parole — they’re all connected and needing repair. But if we’re trying to fix the criminal justice system as a whole, let’s keep perspective on police shootings for starters.

Levis has covered crime and legal affairs for the Chicago Reporter, The National Law Journal and other publications. He now teaches and works freelance in New York City.