I live in the Minneapolis area and have not seen where people are in an uproar because the officers were fired. IMHO people here believe it is justified.
The investgation is just starting but moving slow; I am hoping they are moving thoughtfully to make sure there are no errors so prosecution is flawless as possible. Though the officers should be arrested and in jail, right now, they are not. Apparently laws do not apply to them.......what?
This is a very tricky area for authorities to negotiate, and I'm afraid they are not up to the task. I agree with you that the leadership there is weak.
The key thing to remember in emotional investigations like this is to keep your eye steadily focused on the
final outcome.
Yes, the investigation is going slowly. It MUST go slowly, or it's going to get messed up. There are necessary parts of the investigation that take some time. It takes time to process evidence correctly. It takes time for autopsies, and especially for toxicology without which an autopsy is not complete. But it is really important for investigators to take whatever time is needed to do the job right.
If any of the officers violated the law, I want them
successfully prosecuted. I don't want to lose an important case because of a stupid mistake handling evidence or violating some defendant's rights.
If any officers violated city or department policies, I want them
successfully and
permanently fired. Unfortunately, knee-jerk firings usually come back to bite departments on the butt and crappy officers end up with their jobs back, with full back pay. And the saddest part of those stories is that the injury is self-inflicted by inept management.
MN has a very long and proud labor tradition, very strong labor laws, and I'm sure the police union contract contains numerous protections for their members. The department needs to go slow, be sure they are doing things according to the laws, policies, and contracts and
not lose their whole case due to a stupid mistake. Hopefully they have not already done that with the knee-jerk firings.
The Minneapolis police force has had issues for many years, cops playing judge and jury and punisher, in the field.
Poor leadership starting at the mayoral level. I am surprised it has not happened more often.
We are very sad.
Yes they have, and not just Minneapolis. So have St Paul and the local sheriffs departments.
But the disturbing thing about those agencies is that they keep having
the same problems over and over and over -- and nothing changes. They remind me very much of the Broward County, FL Sheriff's Department's long history of failure after failure with no corrective actions leading up to the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas disaster.
I know the MSP region is going through a very rough time right now, but you guys have to be as patient as you can be and let the system work
properly. People are hurt and angry, and we see the natural reaction in the streets. But you guys will get through it.