useofforce

This episode contains strong language and scenes of violence. 

Over the past five years, police officers in the United States have killed more than 400 unarmed drivers or passengers — a rate of more than one a week, a Times investigation has found.

Why are such cases so common, and why is the problem so hard to fix?

Guest: David D. Kirkpatrick, a national correspondent for The New York Times. 

Love listening to New York Times podcasts? Help us test a new audio product in beta and give us your thoughts to shape what it becomes. Visit nytimes.com/audio to join the beta.

Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. 

Background reading: 

• Officers, trained to presume danger, can react with outsize aggression during traffic stops — sometimes with fatal consequences.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

The Minneapolis police officer whose tactics led to George Floyd’s death had a long record of complaints against him. So why was he still on patrol? Guest: Shaila Dewan, a national reporter covering criminal justice for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily

Background reading:

• Efforts to hold problem officers accountable often face resistance from unions, and juries are reluctant to second-guess police decisions.
• Violence escalated overnight in protests across the country, with police officers under fire in St. Louis and Las Vegas. Here are the latest updates.