An unnecessary evil is lurking about us every day. This evil is the force used in police work. Who does it protect and who does it hurt and does it really work in solving or prevention of crime? It may take many days or weeks before we know exactly what happened in Detroit when Aiyana Jones was accidentally killed. As of yesterday the death of Aiyana Jones during a police raid in Detroit was a travesty. Today the possibility that her death was more than an accident and that it was a careless mistake is unthinkable. According to Geoffrey Fieger, prominent Detroit area attorney, the television show “The First 48″ was filming the officers who raided the home where Aiyana was killed. He has obtained part of the film and apparently the shot that killed Aiyana was fired before there was any type of altercation. In other words, the shot was fired into the house before it was necessary to use force. Allegedly at the time of the shot, no one knew if there would be an altercation or if the raid would end peacefully.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have police officers in the family, so I am not a cop hater. What I do hate is the violence and brutality that sometimes comes along with being a cop. It is heartbreaking when an innocent bystander, much worse a child, is injured or killed during one of these events.
I know that police officers put their lives on the line for us every day. I also know, and this opinion won’t be popular, that they chose to do this job. This is a dangerous job, and they know the danger. Just because I am realistic about this does not mean I don’t know the dangers they face. I do. I also know that because of these dangers they sometimes don’t think ahead and unnecessary force is used. No matter how well intentioned these officers are, sometimes someone gets hurt, and sometimes that someone is not the criminal. Sometimes it’s a little girl laying in her bed. She was already in a precarious place, and unfortunately the event put her in grave danger. Danger that was not supposed to hurt her, but was supposed to protect her and the rest of us. It just so happens that she was there, we weren’t and now she is gone.
I pray every day for all officers of the law, firefighters and our soldiers. I also pray that we can find a way for our officers to protect themselves and the lives of others in their pursuit of the bad guy. I think that police chases should be outlawed. I also think that the way that raids are conducted should be at least revamped. No life, neither an officer or a citizen, is worth a police chase pursuing a suspect who has stolen a vehicle, or robbed a convenience store. No life is worth a raid on a home looking for a suspect. I believe that only when a life, that of an officer or a citizen is in immediate danger should force of this type be used or a chase pursued. There has got to be a way to catch the criminal other than putting police or innocent lives in danger. Aiyana did not deserve to die. Officer Huff did not deserve to die the week before. At this point the best that can come out of this is to hope that somehow policies will change for the safety of all concerned. Rest in Peace Aiyana and Officer Brian Huff.
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Mildly–to be nice–simplstic view of policing. Not the officers themselves, but the institution as a whole. Not off point per se, but not totally on it either. While the death of a child is tragic, it is no less so than the death of anybody else, or shouldn’t be anyway, when it comes at the hands of somebody we have put public trust in to protect us.
Agreed, to a point. Agreed that any death is tragic when it comes at the hands of somebody we have put public trust in to protect us. I did not mean to indicate that the only reason it was tragic is because it was a child. As for it being a simplistic point of view, I do not think it is simplistic at all. It is a realistic point of view. I am trained in law enforcement. I have immediate family in law enforcement. It is a reality that innocent people die as a result of police department policies and procedures. It is a reality that if these policies and procedures were changed, we might have a chance at avoiding most innocent deaths and injuries. We can no longer afford a “take no prisoners” attitude when people are dying. It is not a simple change, I understand that. It would mean retraining, revamping policy and much more. I do think it is worth looking at and each and every life that is put into danger due to these types of raids and police chases deserves to have the policies changed. With my law background and my family involvement in policing, I think that I have fair view of both sides of the issue. I appreciate your reflections on this issue. Maybe if we bring this to the forefront we can begin to resolve some of these dangerous situations for the benefit of citizens and officers alike.
Suitably done.
You run a worthy blog.
Thanks for posting this.