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Police, protesters and perspective — Deseret News Editorial

" ... But police brutality is simply not endemic in our community. ..."

Are you sure about that?

Shootings by police vastly underreported in Utah and nationally — Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune

" ... nobody can say whether deadly force is actually on the rise — or measure, beyond individual departments, whether a given policy change reduces fatal encounters with law enforcement.

"That's because, bottom line, no one knows how many people are shot by police. ..."

If crazy people have guns, do you need one, too? — George Pyle | The Salt Lake Tribune

" ... If everybody is carrying a gun, then you need one, too. It's a move your gut supports, though your brain knows that the most likely target of your gun is yourself, a loved one or an innocent bystander.

"The only logical result of more people carrying guns is more people being shot. Some of them will be the right people. Most of them won't. Usually one or two at a time, so the media take little notice.

"Meanwhile, our police officers seemingly become more trigger-happy every day, surrounded as they are by untrained vigilantes who, because of what's in the news, are as frightened of the police as of any neighborhood thug. ..."

Civilian review board should report to us civilians — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial

"It makes very little sense for Salt Lake City to even have a Police Civilian Review Board if its reviews of police actions aren't made available to the rest of us civilians. ..."

"The federal government amasses statistics on a wide range of topics. Want to know how many people contracted botulism? How many kids participated in extracurricular activities? How many acres of corn are planted in a given year? It's all tracked.

"But one thing the government doesn't count, as was spotlighted this summer amid the fallout from Michael Brown's shooting death in Ferguson, Mo., is how often police kill civilians. ..."

Are police shootings down? Let's see numbers — Arizona Republic Editorial

" ... The problem with police-related shooting data is that there is no dedicated means of collecting accurate information nationally. The FBI mandates reporting on volumes of crime-related statistics annually, but leaves it up to police departments to voluntarily report use of deadly force by police. That needs to change. ..."

With police, it's not us vs. them — Provo Daily Herald Editorial

" ... Every elementary school child learns that "police are our friends," but somewhere in life's timeline, too many people have turned that into an "us vs. them" mentality.

"This is a dangerous progression that must be reversed. Public opinion of police is low; so low that we now suspect the motives of police when they fire their weapons during a crime. ..."

A backlash on police protests — Ogden Standard-Examiner Editorial

" ... Those engaging in peaceful, law-abiding protest are not responsible for the actions of a criminal killer and all well-meaning individuals mourn the loss of these two officers and grieve for the family members they leave behind. It is not wrong to want to see improvements in policing when necessary. In fact, that's a positive. ..."

What America's police departments don't want you to know — Eugene Robinson | The Washington Post

Track all police killings — Florida Today Editorial

Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll — The New York Times

" ... A New York Times review of hundreds of child firearm deaths found that accidental shootings occurred roughly twice as often as the records indicate, because of idiosyncrasies in how such deaths are classified by the authorities. ...

" ... Choosing among five options — homicide, accidental, suicide, natural or undetermined — most medical examiners and coroners simply call any death in which one person shoots another a homicide. ..."

Guns Kill Children — Slate

"The overwhelming evidence that pediatricians are right and the NRA is wrong."

"Twice in the past few years, some pundits and public officials — although not the same ones each time — have sought to blame a political movement for the deadly actions of a deeply disturbed individual.

"They were wrong the first time, and they're wrong again today. ..."

Why Dallas police shootings aren't prompting protests — Dallas Morning News Editorial

The people who were shot by police were clearly dangerous, and the police department is open with the public.

Sometimes they must shoot — New York Daily News Editorial

A case, documented on video, where police showed remarkable restrain before finally being forced to shoot.

Meanwhile: