Palm Beach Sheriff Trigger Happy, Racism and Classism Issues (West Palm Beach: crime, living in)

[Ticatica]

I'm interested in living in West Palm Beach but the rate of police shootings is 25% higher than other cities across the nation's average. It seems there is an undeclared war going on down there. Is aggressive policing improving or getting worse?

"Findings
At a time when police shootings have prompted a national conversation, the Contact 5 Investigators and The Palm Beach Post teamed up to track officer-involved shootings in Palm Beach County and along the Treasure Coast since 2000. We spent a year entering the details of each shooting into a database of more than 250 shootings by officers across 15 agencies that operate locally.
PBSO is the area’s largest department and had, by far, the most shootings involving its deputies.

• 123 total shootings since 2000; 114 people shot at
• 45 people were killed; 38 injured
• In only eight cases deputies used non-lethal force before shooting
• More than one in three people shot at are black.
• One of every four people shot at over the past 15 years was unarmed
• PBSO’s rate of shooting at unarmed people, 25 percent, is much higher than other cities
• Only 12 shootings were found to be an unjustified use of deadly force.
• Most people shot at have criminal records
• When deputies shoot, they usually miss. They have hit their target 30 percent of the time.

Justified
We found since 2000, PBSO has justified nearly all its deputy-involved shootings and in deadly ones, the clearance rate is nearly 100%.
It’s a clearance rate that, on its surface, alarms Palm Beach County Public Defender Carey Haughwout.
“You just think, on average, there have got to be some mistakes that are made.”
Like the mistake that blew out a portion of Andy Jackson’s skull.
His is one of the 12 shootings PBSO has flagged over the past 15 years as a bad shooting.
But what Jackson’s case does have in common with many others we found, at the time of the shooting Jackson was young, black and unarmed."


'Disturbing' patterns and practices found in unprecedented look at 250 police-involved shootings - wptv.com

[john-staten island]

This information is based on the Palm Beach Post investigation. Palm Beach is a very large county with a fair share of crime in certain areas. FDLE reported recently that crime in the State of Florida was at a 44 year low. Palm Beach County showed a slight increase. 123 Shootings since 2000, Thats 16 years? Chicago has that many a month. Its a hit piece on the Sheriffs Office by a very liberal newspaper. I would look at FDLE stats, you'll be very safe here, unlike areas of NYC. I know I live in NYC 6 months a year, I'm safer in Boca Raton.

[froglipz]

So be good for goodness sake!

[TriMT7]

Palm Beach County Sheriff's office patrols a lot of areas with crime problems (as compared to cities with more resources that can maintain its own force).

West Palm Beach is not patrolled by the Sheriff's office. Nor is somewhere like Boca, Palm Beach Gardens or Jupiter.

Instead, Sheriffs are out in places like Belle Glade, unincorporated county areas, Pahokee... not exactly places known for being peaceful hamlets. Also, they are places where "more than 1 in 3" are likely black, so not sure how the socioeconomic indicators of those being shot are much different than demographics of the areas they actually patrol.

[ByeByeLW]

I had a really odd experience with PBSO .

I'd rather not tell the story; the deputy handled the situation so poorly that it made me question my support of law enforcement.

It's a case of not believing it until it happens to you.

Areas of West Boca and I think Delray and Boynton's west areas
are PBSO as is Lake Worth.

[boxus]

Originally Posted by Ticatica

I'm interested in living in West Palm Beach but the rate of police shootings is 25% higher than other cities across the nation's average. It seems there is an undeclared war going on down there. Is aggressive policing improving or getting worse?

"Findings
At a time when police shootings have prompted a national conversation, the Contact 5 Investigators and The Palm Beach Post teamed up to track officer-involved shootings in Palm Beach County and along the Treasure Coast since 2000. We spent a year entering the details of each shooting into a database of more than 250 shootings by officers across 15 agencies that operate locally.
PBSO is the area’s largest department and had, by far, the most shootings involving its deputies.

• 123 total shootings since 2000; 114 people shot at
• 45 people were killed; 38 injured
• In only eight cases deputies used non-lethal force before shooting
• More than one in three people shot at are black.
• One of every four people shot at over the past 15 years was unarmed
• PBSO’s rate of shooting at unarmed people, 25 percent, is much higher than other cities
• Only 12 shootings were found to be an unjustified use of deadly force.
• Most people shot at have criminal records
• When deputies shoot, they usually miss. They have hit their target 30 percent of the time.

Justified
We found since 2000, PBSO has justified nearly all its deputy-involved shootings and in deadly ones, the clearance rate is nearly 100%.
It’s a clearance rate that, on its surface, alarms Palm Beach County Public Defender Carey Haughwout.
“You just think, on average, there have got to be some mistakes that are made.”
Like the mistake that blew out a portion of Andy Jackson’s skull.
His is one of the 12 shootings PBSO has flagged over the past 15 years as a bad shooting.
But what Jackson’s case does have in common with many others we found, at the time of the shooting Jackson was young, black and unarmed."


'Disturbing' patterns and practices found in unprecedented look at 250 police-involved shootings - wptv.com

123 shootings since 2000 and you think there is some undeclared war? Goodness, get out in the world a little.

You can prevent being shot by a cop by first, not committing crimes; not attacking the cop when they try apprehending you; not having a weapon and pointing at a cop or another person; and/or obeying instructions from a cop.

But really, I rather you not move here, last thing we need is someone who wants to block a road or something because a cop justifiably shot someone.

If you do come, Belle Glade is a good place for you.

[gregm]

As a 40 yr. resident here in PBC, (think the size of the state of CT) your hyper fear is totally unwarranted, Post like yours citing 17 year old bogus facts don't contribute anything to the ongoing solutions being used to fix some of the problems here.

If you don't live here already then don't move here, we don;t need your negative kind living here. If you already live here then get involved with solving the problems, that do not exist the way you have framed them.

In 40 years I have lived here I never personally witnessed any of the things you seem to be worried about.