In America, we are so used to violent interaction with authority that most cannot imagine it working any other way.
One of the first steps we should adopt in the US is the mandatory changing of police uniform color. Green or light blue uniforms are less menacing than the typical US all black uniform. I believe this simple change would reduce police violence.
If you google "uk police subdue knife", you can find many examples. Here's one: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/london-police-knife-wiel...
Quote from the article: "In San Francisco, the suspect died in a hail of bullets. In London, the suspect was subdued."
Different situations, different people, I'm sure they're not directly comparable. But in general people are not expected to die from police action in Europe unless they're actively shooting at police officers or hostages or something similar.