"But let justice roll down like waters;
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. . ."
Amos 5:24
Like many, I've had the situation in Ferguson on my mind. Absent a video tape of the entire confrontation, there's probably no way of knowing the truth of what happened, no way of knowing if justice was done. The media has been over-flowing with stories, memes, interviews, and explanations of the judicial system, statistics of cop killers and killer cops. . . everyone has an opinion.
Here's mine. It's time for every law enforcement officer to wear a camera . When people with toy guns, developmentally disabled people, mentally ill, or even angry people who feel they've been picked on just one time too many are shot dead, a videotape of the incident would make clear the level of the threat the officer was confronting. I know that law enforcement people at at a huge risk. I know that they are (mostly) good guys. I know that the trope of shooting the gun out of the bad guy's hand a la westerns from my childhood isn't feasible. But when officers aren't held to close scrutiny for the use of deadly force, perhaps they become a little overeager to defend themselves against a perceived threat. 'Better to be judged by twelve than carried by six," the sheriff's deputy conducting my concealed carry class told us, in discussing the use of deadly force. How much clearer that judgment would be if those twelve could watch a videotape of the incident. And perhaps this simple step would go a long way to restoring confidence in our law enforcement. . . and our justice system.
