“Cop Murders Suspect”

Police Violence and the Rush to Judgment

We need to be cautious about rushing to judgment.  This is especially true when it involves either a criminal suspect or a police officer.

I know a detective who had a very traumatic confrontation was he was a young officer. He was on routine patrol in his black-and-white police car.  He noticed a car driving recklessly.  He turned on his overhead lights and siren.

As the car pulled over, the driver made a lot of furtive suspicious movements. This sometimes indicates the driver is hiding drugs or weapons.

The officer cautiously approached the car and ordered the driver out of the car.  The suspect was fidgety and agitated. Suddenly, he swung at the officer, and the fight was on. 

The officer was able to get his baton free, and he started pummeling the suspect.  The officer aimed for the driver’s arms and legs.  Finally, the suspect surrendered, and the officer handcuffed him.  The officer immediately put away his baton, and there was no further violence.

When the officer got back to the police locker room, he bragged that, for the first time, he got some “stick time.” His celebration was interrupted when his sergeant announced that the suspect was dead.

The officer was placed on leave pending investigation.  The media rushed to judgment with headlines like: “Cop Kills Unarmed Suspect,” “Cop Murders Suspect.” “Cop Beats Suspect to Death.”

There were protests outside the officer’s home, terrifying his wife and small children. At one point, a reporter forced his way into the officer’s home and demanded that the officer answer for the murder. The officer immediately moved his family into a motel.

The officer was distraught because of the death, and the toll the publicity and protests were having on his family.

After a few weeks, the autopsy came back. The cause of death was a drug overdose. As the officer was pulling over the suspect, the driver swallowed a baggie filled with cocaine. The baggie burst and a lethal dose of cocaine flooded the suspect’s system. Any injuries from the baton were superficial and did not contribute to the death in anyway.

The officer was fully exonerated. However, his reputation had been damaged, his mental health jeopardized, and his family traumatized.

As one of my favorite defense attorneys argues, “My daddy told me that no matter how thin you make the batter, there are always two sides to the pancake.”    

(Other Articles: http://www.londonedition.net)