On a serious note, I have a suggestion that I think would cut down on a lot of these police shootings. Any cop firing his weapon would face automatic criminal charges. If everything was done legit, then he/she'd beat it in court. Just knowing that they would have to face the music would, I think, cut down on a lot of the trigger happy behavior.
Have to disagree. That would create strong disincentives to anyone taking the job. Defending a murder case will cost years of a person's life and hundreds of thousands of dollars. And Travis is spot on, police are subject to the same review by a grand jury as every citizen.
Criminal actions should be reserved mostly for those people who present a physical danger to the public such a violent individuals, rapists, burglars, and also for thieves.
Most cases including all of the recent shooting cases receiving attention should be the province of civil cases, where people can be held responsible for actions, but they do not present an ongoing physical danger to the public. Defending a civil action is covered by insurance in most instances and yet the person faces accountability for their conduct.
For the police, make their departments and cities liable for their actions, and budgets for adequate manpower, support, and training will increase. As it stands now in many states, in a civil case the officer faces personal liability, while their employer does not. That puts no incentive on the employer to help improve the skills and performance of their employees.
