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newscluesyesterday at 3:08 PM3 repliesview on HN

There are lots of ways to quantify or record "risk"?

Risk of death?

Risk of injury? How much injury? I've had paper cuts recorded as workplace injuries, I've also had to get stitches after bleeding profusely, are both equally recorded as risk incidents?

What about the risk of getting shot? Just the risk, will I get shot today, has a physiological impact, is that risk recorded?

What about the risk of moral injury? The potential that you're hurt in your soul, because you failed, and someone got injured or hurt?

What about the risk of infectious disease or transmission from needles, blades or bodily fluids?

Police may be a safer job than forestry from a death risk, but there are many risks for police.

I am not sure why some people seem to hate the police so much that downplaying the risks police face. I used to sell drugs and the police were my adversary, but I don't hate them as much as people who have never been arrested. It's very strange. Who do the cop haters call when thieves are breaking into their home with guns?


Replies

jghnyesterday at 3:15 PM

> Who do the cop haters call when thieves are breaking into their home with guns?

For one thing it doesn't happen that much in the first place. In 2024 the rate was 229.4 per 100k in the USA [1] And yet this always gets cited as some reason to keep the police around. These sorts of threats that people cite are exceedingly rare, and yet used to fuel a vision of the world that's one of requiring constantly vigilance and paranoia.

[1] https://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/home-invasion-sta...

hack1312yesterday at 5:07 PM

yeah who else can we call to show up 7 hours later to shrug their shoulders.

wahnfriedenyesterday at 4:06 PM

In Toronto if you call the police because of armed home invasion, you’re connected to an AI that decides whether to escalate to a human operator. But if you do get connected they’re not going to show up anytime soon.

The advice given by Toronto police is to leave your car keys out by your front door so that armed home invaders can get what they came for with ease. The police don’t show up to protect you and your property. They also don’t want to risk their own safety around armed invaders.