Who is Really Killed by the Police? A content analysis of killedbypolice.net

• In Event: Examining Representations of Police Shootings in the Media

Abstract

Law enforcement related deaths receive an incredible amount of media attention, especially in the wake of incidents like those in Ferguson and New York City. One website, killedbypolice.net, claims to maintain “the most accurate, most comprehensive, and always up-to-date” listing of all the people killed by law enforcement officers in the United States. This project examines all 1,205 deaths listed on the website for 2015 and conducts a content analysis of the news articles linked to each death. Patterns related to race, ethnicity, and gender are presented, as well as the circumstances surrounding the deaths and how the victims and police are portrayed by the media.

Authors

• Elizabeth K Ayers, University of West Georgia

• Marie A. Ratchford, Georgia Gwinnett College