Law Enforcement–Perpetrated Homicides. Tom Barker

a myopic approach centered on dangerous classes masks the complex nature of homicides by LEOs. The patterns/types of law enforcement homicides makes LEO-perpetrated homicide a potential risk factor for all persons living in the United States regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, social status, or label. However, the majority of public and academic attention belies the true nature of police-perpetrated homicides. This is slowly changing.

      The August 9, 2014, shooting death of Michael Brown, an eighteen-year-old African American male, by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, made a national issue of LEO homicides. The lack of reliable official data on “killings by the police enraged the public and lead to riots and demonstrations erupted nationwide” (Swaine & McCarthy, December 15, 2016). This book provides a much needed examination of the types and patterns of police homicides. It is the first step toward needed reform.

      We will demystify police homicides and expose its variety and range though the development of a heuristic typology of police homicides. Then we will examine and provide examples of each type or pattern.

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