Good Cops, Bad Cops: Is our Justice system broken?

In order for any society to survive there must be rules of conduct and there must be someone to enforce those rules.  In order for that society to survive those who are selected to create and enforce those rules must be above reproach.  Now I am not saying every individual involved will be above reproach but the system itself must be.

I believe that in Southside Virginia most of our law enforcement officers are good honest men and women who are attempting to do a difficult job to the best of their ability BUT that doesn’t mean that they are perfect or that there aren’t some who should not be officers.

A bad officer damages the community but more importantly they damage the reputation and credibility of every law enforcement officer, as well as damaging the citizens’ faith in the system.

This means our police officers, judges, lawyers, and court systems should be self-policing. When a bad or even ineffective cop, judge or system is identified, he, she or it should be removed.

When citizens lose faith in the judicial system it is because the system is failing. I have to say I believe America has the best justice system in the world but it is not perfect.

Judging from the national news reports there appears to be an increase in the number of citizens being shot by police officers.  I don’t know if this is just increased reporting of incidents or the actual number of police shootings has increased, but this is a cause for concern.

We are dealing with two entirely situations both resulting in death. The first is when a citizen contributes to the situation.  The other is when the officer reacts improperly. All of us, both citizens and officers, are responsible for the results of our actions.

If an officer mishandles a situation it is his or her fault. However, if a citizen does the same it is also his or her fault. The man who was fighting the officers and died in the “I can’t breathe” situation could have easily simply stopped fighting. Besides, if you can’t breathe you also can’t talk.

On the other hand, shooting a fleeing suspect is always wrong unless the suspect is a danger to the public or the officers if he escapes.

Michael Slager, a North Charleston, South Carolina police officer who was charged with murder in the shooting death of Walter Scott, whose crime was non-payment of child support, was an overreaction to say the least.

In the cases where the victim was waving a weapon or a perceived weapon the officer was simply protecting himself.  In these cases the “victim” could have simply submitted to arrest and challenged the situation in court.

Recently the Supreme Court ruled (incorrectly I believe) that in the case of a SWAT invasion of a home that the officers acted reasonably in shooting a suspect who was holding a knife.  The court ruled the man should have realized that the men invading his home were members of the SWAT team.  Again the suspected crime was marijuana possession.

Dash cams and cell phones are great tools in protecting both the officers and the public. No one should object. Good officers should demand them.

Finally, citizens should respect the police even when some few individuals do not deserve respect. I cannot imagine any situation where I would need to fight an officer.  This does not mean I will do anything I am told. I was once told to leave a crime scene. I advised the officer that according to the code of Virginia members of the press cannot be forced to leave.  He responded that if I did not leave he would arrest me.  I suggested that he either arrest me or leave me alone as I was within the law.  That battle could have been resolved in court.

If the citizens obey the laws and if the police officers obey the laws and if both officers and citizens insist that others obey the laws the problem will be resolved and there will be no more unjustified shootings.