The Myth of Wanton Police Shootings Collapses under the Weight of Facts
In December, police killed 92 people — 21 blacks, 40 whites, 17 Hispanics/Latinos, five Asians/Pacific Islanders, and nine of unknown race. Fourteen were unarmed, including five blacks. Those who were unarmed reportedly still posed other types of threats to officers. These threats included physical violence and ramming officers with a vehicle.
In a project titled “The Counted,” British newspaper the Guardian is tracking killings by police in the United States and has compiled a comprehensive list for the year 2015. The tracker was motivated by much-discussed but poorly founded concern about excessive use of police force particularly against blacks.
In December, police killed 92 people — 21 blacks, 40 whites, 17 Hispanics/Latinos, five Asians/Pacific Islanders, and nine of unknown race. Fourteen were unarmed, including five blacks. Those who were unarmed reportedly still posed other types of threats to officers. These threats included physical violence and ramming officers with a vehicle.
Most of these reports are based largely on the accounts of eyewitnesses and the officers involved and so might not include all relevant details, such as results from ongoing police investigations. But the available facts fail to support the claim, made most prominently by the movement Black Lives Matter, that police systematically target unarmed black men. Of note among those who were killed is, however, the prevalence of mental illness.
The basic facts of each case in the month of December are summarized below; links to coverage of the incidents in local media are also provided.
Read more at National Review
More Patrol

NLEOMF Honors September 2026 Officers of the Month
Four Bradenton Police Department officers were selected as the NLEOMF Officers of the Month for September 2026 for a nighttime water rescue.
Read More →
Blackhawk Debuts Mini EDC Pocket Multi-Tool
The Blackhawk Mini EDC Pocket Multi-Tool stows easily in pants pockets thanks to a sturdy stainless steel pocket clip and incorporates several essential/emergency tools into a single, high-mobility unit.
Read More →
Team Wendy Introduces the EXFIL Endurance Ballistic Helmet, Engineered to Reduce the Burden of Extended Wear
Team Wendy has launched its EXFIL Endurance, a new lightweight ballistic helmet engineered to deliver protection, comfort, and fit during demanding, extended operations.
Read More →
The First Responders Children’s Foundation National First Responders Day Roll Call of Heroes Ceremony Returns to Times Square, NYC
First Responders Children’s Foundation (FRCF), in collaboration with T-Mobile, will host the Roll Call of Heroes ceremony in Times Square to commemorate National First Responders Day on Wednesday, Oct. 28. During the event, FRCF will present 18 Hero Awards.
Read More →
Streamlight to Showcase Newest Lighting Products for Law Enforcement Professionals at IACP 2026
Streamlight will showcase its newest lights for law enforcement at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference & Expo. Featured lights will include the TLR-3 X, the PolyTac 1X, and more.
Read More →
Streamlight Portable Scene Light III Wins 2026 OH&S New Product of the Year Award
Streamlight’s Portable Scene Light III has won the 2026 Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) New Product of the Year Award in the Lighting category.
Read More →
Adept Armor Introduces Two New Rifle Plates
Adept Armor has launched two new Level IV ballistic plates, the Emperor and the Archon Mark 2, which brings Adept Armor’s new Quatroid ceramic to the high-threat, performance-value center of the range at 5.2 pounds.
Read More →
POLICE Product Test: Benchmade Bailout
The Benchmade Bailout is a slim, lightweight carry knife with a deep-ride pocket clip and comes in a variety of blade steels and scales. Here is a detailed review of the Taiga Green Bailout, released earlier this year.
Read More →
NLEOMF Announces July 2026 Officer of the Month
NLEOMF honored a Michigan deputy sheriff as the July 2026 Officer of the Month for rescuing a trapped driver from a burning vehicle following a Fourth of July crash.
Read More →
Streamlight to Showcase Newest Lighting Products at National Safety Council’s Safety Congress & Expo 2026
Streamlight will showcase its latest lights, including the Portable Scene Light III and the LiteBox 1Million, at the 2026 National Safety Council (NSC) Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →