POLICE VIOLENCE: Comparison Statistics

In an effort to provide a context of facts for discussions on police violence in the United States, we gathered the following statistics, comparing four, industrialized, Western nations. We added information on the danger of various jobs, as we so often hear about the dangers police officers face on a daily basis.

Population in 2000

Number of Police ³

USA                 780,000     or   245 per 100,000 people  2012
Germany       243,625     or   296 per 100,000 people  2010
Denmark         13,500     or   245 per 100,000 people  2012
England          167,318     or  307 per 100,000 people  2009

Number of Guns per 100 residents³

US¹                90           rank #1
Germany     30.3        rank #15
Denmark     12           rank #54
England         6.2        rank #88

Average number of Civilians killed by Police Officers per year 1996-2006

US¹                    400
Germany²            7.36     adjusted for US population  117
England²              2.27      adjusted for US population    75
Denmark²            1           adjusted for US population      7.6

Average number of Civilians wounded by Police Officers per year 1996-2006

US                   not found
Germany²     30
Denmark²       3.45
England²         2.56

10 Deadliest Jobs based on Number of Fatalities 2012⁴

1. Logging workers
2. Fishers and related fishing workers
3. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
4. Roofers
5. Structural iron and steel workers
6. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
7. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
8. Drivers/sales workers and truck drivers
9. Farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers
10. Construction laborers

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¹ FBI
²The Use of Police Firearms in Denmark² by Frode Z. Olsen  2008
³ Wikipedia
⁴ US Bureau of Labor