Why Is It So Hard to Convict Police Officers? Many Factors Hinder Justice

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According to the 2017 Police Violence Report, only 1 percent of killings by police result in officers being charged with a crime, and in those that do result in charges, very rarely are officers convicted of wrongdoing. But as recent incidents like the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd show, there are a troubling number of incidents where, at, best police have shown negligence and, at worst, an intent to kill. If you, like many, wonder why it is so hard to convict police officers, here are some of the many factors at play.

Laws protecting the use of deadly force vary among various jurisdictions.

Police have several immunities when it comes to the use of deadly force, and so the burden of proof of wrongdoing is much larger in cases when an officer takes the life of a civilian. While some departments have implemented changes that reduce the risk of suspects dying in custody and also provide greater accountability measures, there is a lot of progress still to be made.

The “Eight Can’t Wait” project by Campaign Zero seeks to urge all departments to adopt eight measures, including a ban on chokeholds and comprehensive reporting, which data has shown reduce police violence by as much as 72 percent. Unfortunately, only 2 of the top 100 departments in the nation currently employ all eight measures — Tuscon, Ariz. and San Francisco, Calif. And, as GQ noted, in the latter case that is only because they were ordered to do so by the federal government.

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Source: istock

One of the biggest hindrances to charges being brought is that, in many jurisdictions, it is not required that officers report all uses of force on suspects, and most of the time investigations into possible misconduct are carried out internally without oversight from an objective third party.

Source : https://www.distractify.com/p/why-is-it-so-hard-to-convict-police-officers

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