A police officer in Minnesota was suspended for threatening to shoot a passenger in the head after an unauthorized high-speed chase. In Paterson, New Jersey, an officer threw a handcuffed woman to the ground and strangled her. And in Little Rock, Arkansas, a patrol officer was allowed to rack up 36 sustained misconduct allegations and at least 65 days of suspension.
Each officer went on to be involved in a deadly encounter with the public. Not in shootings, but in cases where the force – whether physical restraints, blows or weapons such as a Taser – is referred to as less lethal.
Experts believe there are certain past actions — multiple excessive use-of-force cases, domestic violence, mental health concerns among them — that agencies should not overlook when hiring or retaining officers. However, national disciplinary standards are haphazard and disparate, and early-warning systems meant to identify troubled officers often fail.
How is there no red flag law for law enforcement? I mean I know why, but it’s still wild to me how many of these characters get to wear a badge + gun, and get to act out their violent desires on the public with impunity (99.9% of the time).
The fact that an officer can throw a handcuffed woman to the ground, and then strangle her and get to keep his job and with no jail time should be setting off alarms all the way up the chain of authority. He is then put back on the streets which is fucking insane, but sums up perfectly our current state of policing in the US.