As Wiki reports, citing a study of police abuse,
We see this time and time again. The bodies are ignored by the investigators who are mainly either cops or DAs with a vested interest in supporting the cops. What has changed is the relatively recent explosion in the availability of video cameras and/or cell phones. It is much harder to ignore a video of six cops beating the shit out of a guy and claim they were following "departmental rules."
Quote:In the United States, investigation of cases of police brutality has often been left to internal police commissions and/or district attorneys (DAs). Internal police commissions have often been criticized for a lack of accountability and for bias favoring officers, as they frequently declare upon review that the officer(s) acted within the department's rules, or according to their training. For instance, an April, 2007 study of the Chicago Police Department found that out of more than 10,000 police abuse complaints filed between 2002 and 2003, only 19 (0.19%) resulted in meaningful disciplinary action. The study charges that the police department's oversight body allows officers with "criminal tendencies to operate with impunity," and argues that the Chicago Police Department should not be allowed to police itself.[28] Only 19% of large municipal police forces have a civilian complaint review board (CCRB). Law enforcement jurisdictions that have a CCRB have an excessive force complaint rate against their officers of 11.9% verses 6.6% complaint rate for those without a CCRB.
We see this time and time again. The bodies are ignored by the investigators who are mainly either cops or DAs with a vested interest in supporting the cops. What has changed is the relatively recent explosion in the availability of video cameras and/or cell phones. It is much harder to ignore a video of six cops beating the shit out of a guy and claim they were following "departmental rules."
