Police shootings don't match perceptions. Now what?

• Officer-related killings of Black men raise questions that deserve answers%2C but these incidents don't mean the cops are all bad guys
• Law enforcement officers face enormous dangers on a daily basis
• Statistics about officer-involved shootings in Maricopa County should move the conversation forward

Get off the teeter-totter. This isn't up they win, down you lose. Police and the public are in this together.

Yes, there's an exposed nerve over killings of unarmed Black men by police officers. Demonstrations continue, and the attention should lead to a sustained and honest national conversation.

It's tempting to pick a side. But this is more complicated than "us vs. them."

It is too glib to dismiss the concerns of the Black community and others that recent police shootings are part of a deadly pattern. There have been enough incidents to raise concerns.

But it is also unfair to paint all cops as civil-rights-abusing hugs. They aren't. They are called peace officers for a reason — they are there to keep people safe.

Law-enforcement officers face enormous dangers on a daily basis. That needs to be leavened into these discussions.

So does the reality of what happens on our streets.

The Republic's Megan Cassidy took a look at 33 Maricopa County officer-involved-shootings from 2014 and found that 85 percent involved an armed suspect or suspects. In 2013, it was 81 percent.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office reviewed officer-related shootings from 2011 to 2014 and found 90 percent involved an armed suspect or suspects. Some cases are still under review, mostly cases from this year.

"Armed" doesn't always mean a gun. Weapons also include a sword, a machete, an officer's Taser, a car and rocks. Officers make split-second judgment calls under life-and-death pressure, and threats come in many forms.

The Republic's research found that in 2013 and 2014, of the officer-involved-shooting suspects whose ethnicities were known, 25 were White, 20 were Latino, 12 were Black, and one was Native American. In Maricopa County, officer-involved shootings were fatal about half the time from 2011 to 2014, according to information from the prosecutor's office.

That seems at odds with the belief that Black men are more likely to be killed by White officers.

But the truth is, whether the name is Eric Garner in New York, Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland or, here in the Valley, Rumain Brisbon, each case is different. Each needs to be considered based on the circumstances, including the actions of the dead men as well as what the officers did.

Yet doing that gets complicated because some advocates suggest the deaths of Black men follow a pattern that indicates some suspects are viewed as inherently more dangerous based largely on race. This accusation makes many people uncomfortable.

That's where the national conversation comes in. It's important to talk about realities, perceptions and where the two diverge. Police deserve to protect themselves while they offer color-blind law enforcement.

What's more, it matters whether members of minority communities view the police as biased. Such perceptions result in neighborhoods where people are reluctant to report crimes or come forward as witnesses.

It is important to bring facts — as well as passion — to the conversation.

Statistics about officer-involved shootings in Maricopa County move that conversation forward.

Officer-involved shootings in 2014: