[Previous entry: "U.S. Ecological Park proposal"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Plaxo: A rant"]

08/18/2005 Archived Entry: "Will London police be held accountable"

NOW THAT WE KNOW IT WAS ALL LIES AND COVERUPS will London police be held exactly as accountable as any other citizens would be? That's all anybody could ask: treat them as you would any pack of vigilantes who hunted down an innocent man, shot him in the head while he was already under restraint, then lied to make it seem as if the victim had provoked them.

I suppose somebody could reasonably suggest that they get harsher punishment than any other citizens because they're specially trained and authorized and therefore supposed to know better (like a boxer gets a harsher punishment when he uses his fists to attack someone). But could any reasonable person believe these officers deserve a wrist-slap? Could anybody believe that because they committed these crimes "in the line of duty" that somehow makes the actions even slightly excusable?

According to NPR it all began to go wrong when an officer doing surveillance on the building where the victim lived had to take a piss. He didn't see Menezes clearly, and so told his fellow officers that a suspected terrorist might -- or might not -- have left the building.

Posted by Claire @ 08:54 AM CST
Link