VOA标准英语2015--美国暴力犯罪下降但警察击毙嫌疑犯数上升

 

US Violent Crime Falls While Police Killings¹ Rise 美国暴力犯罪下降但警察击毙嫌疑犯数上升

WASHINGTON—

The latest figures (2013) from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation² suggest violent crime in the United States has fallen to its lowest level in years. Many law enforcement agencies are taking credit for the decline. But while violent crime is down, deadly police encounters - known as justifiable³ homicides - are rising.

The FBI reports violent crimes like murder, rape⁴, assault and robbery dropped more than four percent in 2013. During that same period, however, police officers shot and killed more than 400 civilians⁵ in incidents known as justifiable homicides.

Bill Lewis, assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles Division, says increased drug and gang activity has led to more deadly encounters with police.

"There are more than 30,000 known gangs in the U.S., including prison and motorcycle gangs. And more than a million gang members. Further, street gangs are responsible for approximately 48 percent of violent crime in their neighborhoods that they control," said Lewis.

FBI report

According to official FBI reporting, there were nearly 500 police killings of felony suspects each year during a seven year period ending in 2013.  

But that number comes from only 750 of the 17,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide, because reporting police killings to Washington is voluntary.

Some analysts⁶ claim the report undercounts fatal police encounters with civilians, and the actual number could be as high as 1,000.

National Urban League President Marc Morial said lowering that number may mean changing the way the police do their job.

"So the changes we seek obviously are a shift away from what I would call a broken windows [increased police action for small crimes] or stop-and-frisk approach to policing, to more of a community policing model, which focuses on violent crime but also which builds relationships between police and the communities that they serve," said Morial.

Perception problem

The shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson was not an insolated event. African Americans make up a large majority of people killed by police. Public policy expert Elsie Scott said the core of the problem is the way black men and other minorities are perceived by many police officers.

"There are many great police officers out there. I think many of the police officers who work directly in high crime communities often see nothing but some of the negative elements and so their perceptions of African-American young men, their perception of Latino young men often may get tainted⁷ by the job that they are doing," said Scott.

Madye Henson, who has trained thousands of police officers, said law enforcement agencies need to examine ways of reducing deadly force.

"I think that what you have seen in some of those communities that have seen a decrease in those police killings in that process is a different level of engagement, with those that police community there is a different level of engagement with the community," said Henson.

Henson said furthering policing reforms should increase trust between officers and civilians while reducing the frequency with which police use deadly force.

1 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 justifiable   

adj.有理由的，无可非议的

参考例句：

• What he has done is hardly justifiable.他的所作所为说不过去。
• Justifiable defense is the act being exempted from crimes.正当防卫不属于犯罪行为。

4 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

5 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》