Garrison State in 'Democratic' Society

• NCJ Number: 83541
• Journal: Crime and Social Justice Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring/Summer 1974) Pages: 27-33
• Author(s): P Takagi
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Revised version of a study conducted by Philip Buell and Paul Takagi in the Summer of 1971, entitled 'Code 984 - Death by Police Intervention.' Errata sheet included.

Annotation

An analysis of statistics on police officers killed in the line of duty and on civilians killed by the police is used to support the argument that the disproportionate police killings of blacks is part of a process to control this surplus labor force.

Abstract

Although news reports have focused on the killings of police officers, analysis of FBI data shows that killings of police show no trend either upward or downward between 1963 and 1971. In contrast, the rate of deaths of male citizens as a result of police actions increased significantly in the same period. Moreover, black men have been killed by police at a rate some 9 to 10 times as great as that for white men. In proportion to the population, black youths aged 10 to 14 and black men aged 65 and over have been killed by police at a rate 15 to 30 times as high as that for whites of the same ages. Case studies suggest that police misconduct was often involved in these shootings, even though police are rarely prosecuted or convicted in such cases. Nevertheless, the authorities have focused largely on what they view as a rash of attacks on the police and have neglected the problem of police killings of civilians. LEAA funds have been earmarked primarily for the fortification of police and for forms of citizen participation which actually increase the isolation of police from minority communities. Other reforms, such as the use of civilian review boards and the disarming of police, have also been proposed, however. Nevertheless, the current situation is highly profitable in that it maintains the black ghettos, which were created by America's industries as a source of cheap labor for the accumulation of wealth. The relationship of increased police killings to the civil rights movement and to the growth of multinational corporations may also be significant. Meanwhile, the growth of police force personnel indicates that the United States is moving rapidly towards becoming a garrison State. Eleven references are provided.