re: Marksville City Marshals......Breaking two officers charged with murder

quote:

---

We have a judicial process to play out here. The officers will be put on trial that will be decided by a jury. During that trial, their entire life will be dragged out into public and a reasonable understanding of the situation will emerge. And if they are found guilty, they'll go to jail for a long time with people who they put in prison.Thats all that really needs to be said about this.

---

The first response not based on emotion - no one even has the facts (though I think your assumption that there will be a trial is premature).

Were they shooting from behind the car or from a position where they were shooting towards the side of the driver?

These issues are very complex. City marshals are supposed to be process servers, and I'm troubled by their expansion into other law enforcement duties.

The decision to pursue is tough - since pursuits endanger the participants and the public. Do you pursue for a minor violation? The "yes" contingent would say that the fact that someone runs may be an indicator that there are more issues than just a traffic ticket.

Do the police pull out their weapons too often? In the 60's, the police would rarely unholster their weapons (and there were more police officers shot in the 60's with a small population). It is easier to make a bad shooting decision when your gun is out - less time to think it through.