I didn’t want to post much of my viewpoint on this because I know it would run counter to what many others would perceive. However, I was sickened by the details of Freddie Gray’s final trip that was released this morning. Knowing that he was handcuffed, shackled, and rode face down in the transport van without being secured by a seat belt runs counter to any transport policy that I’ve ever heard of.
There have been so many “leaks” from law enforcement that turned out to be false narratives that it’s almost impossible to think the police or someone close to the officers were not trying to control the narrative in the face of the facts presented this morning. This story has followed the same trajectory as the previous issues of people dying at the hands of the police. It’s always “protect the officer’s reputation/credibility at any cost and slander the victim no matter what the truth says”.
As an officer, I have no problem with defending fellow officers when their actions are lawful and necessary to do the job. At the same time, I cringe when I see people going out of their way to defend officers who are in the wrong. Many times, we’re faced with split-second decisions where there is no right or wrong action at the moment it’s needed. I don’t Monday morning quarterback such decisions because I don’t think you can justifiably criticize those decisions when you are not in the same environment that the decision was made. However, there’s no way to justify covering up every day procedural violations which is what I picked up on first in this case. Even then, I had no idea the issues were as bad as they’ve been told.
The Mind of Brosephus 