WASHINGTON POST COLUMN: Early one December morning in East Baltimore in 2000, I saw a car drive by with its headlights off. For minor traffic violations, for honest mistakes — if the driver was sober, polite and carrying a valid license and registration — I would usually just issue a warning…
Legally, morally and tactically, I had many options and tools at my disposal. I could have raised my voice. I could have issued more orders. I could have threatened the woman with force and arrested her for non-compliance. I could have done all that legally, but I didn’t want to. What is legally permitted is not always morally acceptable. I didn’t want to start a physical altercation because there’s always a chance you’ll lose…
Was that the ideal ending? I don’t know. Little about policing is ideal. But that’s why we have police officers, to handle non-ideal situations. These often involve people who are lost, mentally ill, criminals or victims. And, like Sandra Bland, nobody should die because police officers are more interested in absolute dominance than professional, moral and tactical discretion. Peaceful resolution isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the very purpose of policing… (more)
EDITOR: It is difficult for a white person to understand how fearful – indeed terrified – African-Americans can be of the police. It starts with childhood and never leaves some, no matter what high status in society they achieve.
