Book Review: The End of Killing: How Our Newest Technologies Can Solve Humanity’s Oldest Problem

I received this book in the mail unsolicited. I looked at the cover and immediately decided that I was not interested in reading it. Frankly, there was no discussion about why I should read it nor an ask. The book just showed up. Here I am at the end of the year and I had one more book to read to complete the 2019 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge. The category was a book outside your (genre) comfort zone. I decided that The End of Killing: How Our Newest Technologies Can Solve Humanity’s Oldest Problem would fit the bill. Rick Smith, the founder and CEO of Axon (formerly TASER International) wrote the book. I was not sure what I would find in the book but I am glad I read it. It gave me a lot to think about.

The End of Killing looks at the killings at the hands of the police and military and argues that technology can help to reduce these killings. I found Smith’s arguments thoughtful and balanced. He brings a lot of data and research into the conversation. He has brought up points that I have not considered before even though I have pondered the same questions.

The book is 259 pages long and spans 15 chapters. The chapters include

• Weapons, past and present
• The new vs. the now
• Why we need to stop killing
• The TASER story
• Violence is like a virus: Public Safety
• Extending the trend: military
• A cultural Insurgency
• Judicious surveillance
• Justice modernized
• Alexa, call for help
• School safety
• Calling for Progressive activists
• Our biggest problems require our brightest minds
• Government in a world without privacy
• Engine of violence: ending the War on Drugs
• Conclusion: a path forward

Smith brought forth the premise that we can reduce violence and killings at the hands of protectors through the use of technology. I tend to agree with him. When all you have is a hammer, that is what you use. He believes that we are overly reliant on lethal means to neutralize situations. Smith is not arguing for the elimination of lethal weapons only that increased options should be available through the use of non-lethal tools.

The End of Killing began by looking at a futuristic example of how high-risk situation could be resolved. This is in contrast to the lethal airstrikes the US had in Iraq that has now escalated into a protest at the US Embassy in Iraq and degradation of public opinion. A decision to use lethal weapons has increased violence not reduced it.

There were a few areas that grabbed my interest while reading this book. I am going to share my thoughts.

The first is related to the data that Smith shared. Most of the trends are moving in a positive direction but they can be accelerated by providing non-lethal options. We are currently in a relatively non-violent period compared to our past history. We can improve on this trend. There are other areas where more control is needed. Our military defense spending, for example, is out of control. Each year it goes up. However, we cannot win the peace through violence as our recent airstrikes have demonstrated. Our war on drugs is not successful and has fueled a violent ecosystem. The number of incarcerations has significantly increased with no decline in drug use since the beginning of the war on drugs. The use of cigarettes, on the other hand, has continuously declined without resorting to incarceration.

Another interesting discussion was in the chapter about new versus now. If something is not perfect, we tend to reject it and stay with something that is deadlier. We are happy to disqualify something because of a minor flaw in spite that the status quo is deadlier. Smith provided some powerful examples such as self-driving cars or TSA automated screeners. The screeners had a flaw rate of 95 percent in a 2015 study of trying to pass fake explosives and weapons through TSA screenings. An artificial intelligence (AI) supported technology had a fail rate of 1.97 percent and was rejected because it could potentially let a weapon through.

The military does not have good non-lethal weapon options and as a result, countless innocents are being killed because there are no options. In places like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, there is a need for non-lethal options. Children should be shot. Members of the military are frustrated that they do not have a better way to deal with children who approach their convoys. The enemy has come to this realization and is exploiting it. It is destroying the psyche of our soldiers who have to resort to lethal means against children.

Smith has presented compelling data showing the positive impact that introducing TASERs and body cameras have had on community policing. We need to encourage and expand the use of non-lethal options. He also discussed the use of AI for recognizing threats before they materialize. More creative means to use technology needs to be explored. Smith relates the uphill battle this has been. Everyone seems to be content with the status quo rather than pursue something that is unknown. Pilot programs need to be initiated and encouraged.

The End of Killing has certainly given me a lot to think about. I definitely support his position based on what I have read. As the last book for 2019, I am glad that I took the opportunity to read it. I would definitely recommend it to a number of my friends.

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