Reporter-Herald (Loveland): FBI collection of data on police shootings is expected to begin in 2018. It can’t come soon enough.

So far this year, 554 people have been shot and killed by police in the United States, according to The Washington Post, which has that number only because the newspaper decided a couple of years ago — after the Ferguson, Mo., police shooting — to begin collecting the data.

Without a national database on the number of or the details of police shootings, the public has been kept in the dark about what’s really happening on the streets nationwide. “Facts” about police shootings come from social media posts and talking heads with agendas. And silence from some police departments about shootings doesn’t help when there are legitimate questions: Was the shooting victim approaching the officer or fleeing? Was he armed or not? Was the victim suffering from mental illness? Was the officer wearing a camera, and was it turned on?

Answers to these and other questions can help the public understand what has happened, can help police departments learn how to better respond to dangerous situations, and can lead to smarter policy when it comes to lethal force.

We’re pleased that in our community, officers do their best to see that everyone makes it home alive. In recent years, they have shown an abundance of restraint when it comes to lethal force, using their weapons only when suspects have drawn guns. This was borne out again in recent weeks, as Loveland police opened up about the events that led up to an officer-involved shooting on June 8.

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