The real damage that will be caused by this is that an increasing number of police will become so risk averse because of incidents like this that they will stop doing anything proactive in minority neighborhoods.
There have always been those that figured it out early that if you do very little, there is very little risk, either to you physically or professionally. The term I heard used was FIDO. Fugg It-Drive On. They would respond to calls and not much else, kind of like firemen.
However the GOOD inner city residents that have to live with the out of control a-holes, (that have little or no fear of being stopped by risk averse police) are really the ones that suffer. And the reality is that most of the people stuck in the inner cities are good.
The good inner city residents will continue to be the victims, and call. The officers will respond from the station, or from wherever they are holed up, and will have blinders on until they get to their assigned call.
Meanwhile, the inner cities will spin faster into their death spiral, as more and more decent folks find a way to move out leaving a higher and higher percentage of a-holes left and police who are afraid to actually "police" drive in circles responding to calls after the fact.
A "tragedy?" Perhaps, but not as tragic as the thousands of innocent inner city residents who will become victims of their own people who are emboldened when police are afraid to do their jobs.
If I may say I think it shouldn't mean any such thing. If it does mean what you say the LE is seriously broken.
Take every case on a case by case issue. This Cop is/was a bad Cop and did not have the discipline to be a LEO.
He will pay for this for the rest of his life. It should mean nothing when compared to other cases as painting with a broad brush is wrong.
Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny. Thomas Jefferson
