Thread by @samswey

The Grand Rapids Police Department refuses to release the name of the officer who killed #PatrickLyoya. How often do police release the officers’ names after they kill people? The answer depends on where you live. Let’s examine the data. (1/x) abcnews.go.com/amp/US/wireSto…

Using data our Mapping Police Violence organization collected on killings by police, here’s how many killings in 2021 had officer names identified in news reports in the 100 largest cities. Officers were identified in 57% of these cases. But look at the huge differences by city.

LAPD reported officer names in 100% of killings while San Antonio PD reported officer names in only 18%. Detroit PD didn’t report any. Some state laws restrict disclosure but the biggest differences are between cities. Many cities are choosing to hide the info from the public.

That’s the 100 largest cities. But outside of big cities it’s even less likely for the names of officers to be made public. Officers were named in only 34% of killings by police outside the 100 largest cities, compared to the majority of cases (57%) within 100 largest cities.

Hiding this information prevents communities from knowing whether those officers are ever held accountable. It also prevents us from establishing patterns of police violence within cities. Look how many officers who’ve shot someone had a prior shootings on their record here.

There really is no excuse for police to hide from the public the names and prior records of officers who’ve harmed people. It’s just another part of a system that is designed to avoid accountability at every level.

We’ve been tracking the names of officers in as many of these killings as possible, but the barriers to getting access to this info in some cities are ridiculous. We’ll keep building this database until every officer is identified. Get up-to-date data at mappingpoliceviolence.us.