The American system of policing is fundamentally flawed. Hardly a week goes by without a report of some cop, somewhere, shooting dead a citizen, usually a person of color, frequently a teenaged black boy.
The latest incident is particularly shocking since the victim, a black woman named Sonya Massey, called the police for assistance because she believed there was an intruder in her home. On the officer’s body cam video, he can be heard verbally abusing Sonya and then threatening to kill her before fatally shooting her in the head.
His own words and action demonstrate that this man should never have been in any job dealing with the public, certainly not one as demanding of intelligence, quick wits, patience and empathy as that of a law enforcement officer.
As one man quoted in the Guardian report points out, for years the Defense Department has been sending surplus armaments to city and town police departments. Our civilian police do not need tanks. They need the ability to cope calmly, rationally and with a touch of sympathy with distraught people who call for their help.
Biden calls for justice after footage released of police killing Black woman (opens in a new browser windo)
Kamala Harris joins calls for police reforms after Sonya Massey killing (opens in a new browser windo)
I participated in many investigations of "officer involved shootings" and in several criminal trials of same. I am of the opinion that the standard police training courses exacerbate paranoia; I doubt there is any attempt to weed out people who are paranoid or susceptible to paranoia before they get their badges.
ReplyDelete------Alan in California