Alva Review-Courier -

The federal government is launching a national database that will track when law enforcement officers use deadly force, providing more transparency about police shootings that have inflamed tensions in cities around the country.

For years, the public has debated whether law enforcement have become too trigger-happy — especially in dealing with African-Americans and minorities — but basic information about police shootings and use of force has been elusive.

It's mainly been left to news organizations to fill the void by compiling their own databases to understand the problem, an effort that too...