Some days I wake up and just wonder when are things going to change......and realize, because we are humans, probably not any time soon.
Still....
First off, man, the media is so terrible when it comes to accuracy and developed thought.
For one thing, there is homicide vs murder. Last night while watching the news on the latest police killing the reporter emphasized how the coroner declared the death was a "HOMICIDE" - as if "homicide" were "murder." Well, all a "homicide" is is the killing of one human being by another. It is not "murder," but these reporters and commentators keep reporting them as the same. They are not. A coroner is tasked with identifying modes of death - accident, suicide, unknown, homicide, natural causes.
In the police world, there is no such thing as "accidental discharge," or for that matter, "negligent discharge." It is "unintentional discharge." Oh, a simple thing, eh? Not really. See, "negligent discharge" is a phrase avoided because of its legal ramifications (even employers don't want that phrase used). And "accidental discharge" carries a somewhat meaning of carelessness. Yes, to laypeople these distinctions sound silly, but on further examination, one can see how complex phrases are.
Definitions, especially legal ones, do hold distinct power. Years ago, I predicted that the BART officer that killed a young Black man on a platform with a gun thinking it was his Taser would be acquitted of "murder" charges because they were not the appropriate charges and was correct. Now, don't get me wrong - I was not applauding this acquittal, but only pointing out there are elements to murder that are much different than other offenses and the other offenses should have been charged, but most likely back then, the prosecutor charged such offenses to placate protestors (to me, the lesson here should have been that legislators should have started drafting legal definitions regarding offenses that allowed for serious penalties for such offenses that were equal to the harm done - for example, one reason "attempted murder" offenses are so hard to prove is because one has to prove "intent" of the offender and this is why other offenses such as "manslaughter" are used instead because the proof of intent is not as hard to prove as it is in "attempted murder").
Believe me, I'm not trying to list things that excuse any of these horrible behaviors. I watch all of this and it makes me angry and sick. I'm just trying to offer accurate information. For example, one "expert" when asked about the recent killing of the young Black male was completely ignorant when it came to expressing an understanding of how one could mistake a Taser for a handgun. For one thing, the human body goes through tremendous changes during stress with actual physical changes to the body and mind. Tunnel vision emerges as does auditory occlusion, as well as fine motor skills become inhibited.
Again, don't get me wrong - I'm not offering excuses, because it is clear to me, American policing MUST change and change FAST.
As for the army LT stop - talk about a fine (sarcasm intended) example of "contempt of cop." That is what that incident clearly showed. An easily angered officer offended by "contempt of cop." Obviously, that man is also afflicted with SPS (small pecker syndrome) as well. I cannot tell how many times police officers have told family and loved ones if they are ever worried or suspicious about being pulled over in dark areas to drive to a well-lit area where people may be. (One thing I'd really love to know about the small town where this happened is if there are stories floating around the military bases regarding mistreatment by local cops).
One last broad aspect of complaint - one area that needs to be changed is that how the courts and especially the US Supreme Court handles cases of constitutional issues. What I mean is this - while it may seem minor, the way courts handle issues of US Constitutality create a starting point for a lot of these incidents. To illustrate, they hear cases and make rulings too vague and this is shown by the use of things like Pine Tree air fresheners as probable cause for a traffic stop (obstructed view). Sounds silly, right? But think of it - the courts make a narrow or arbitrary ruling on a constitutional dispute and then law enforcement comes up with the workaround. My point is, for a large part of traffic stops, the idea is to find out who is in the vehicle and get in the vehicle - legally. So creative ways to do that are discovered and used (for example, one way to legally get into at least one-quarter of a vehicle is to compare the vehicle identification number located on the inside of the driver's door to the one located on the dash).
My larger point is this - courts need to make definitive rulings - rulings that are clear and quit making rulings that today say one thing and tomorrow say another. And legislators need to write better laws. I mean, write a law that defines EXACTLY what does constitute obstructing the view of a windscreen, so that some person is not being stopped for a Pine Tree air freshener.
But man, policing must change.....
