Bad jury decisions, and federally funded body cams for LEOs... [View all]

It seemed pretty cut and dried, listening to the video and the witnesses. It was possible to hear Philando Castile tell the policeman that he was not reaching for his CCW, and yet he still ended up getting shot and dying. HYet, even in the face of all that, teh LEO wsa found not guilty:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/us/philando-castile-trial-verdict/index.html

"St. Paul, Minnesota (CNN)Jeronimo Yanez, the Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop last year, was found not guilty of second-degree manslaughter Friday. He also was acquitted of two counts of intentional discharge of firearm that endangers safety."

I realize this is an isolated incident, but the truth is that, especially in today's climate, many LEO officers are so worried for their own lives that I believe this leads to a tendency to overreact to ensure their own safety. Most of them do not succumb to this temptation, but some - usually the younger, inexperienced ones, or those who are not sure in their ability to defend themselves - do, which leads to tragedies such as this, or Terence Crutcher, or Walter Scott.

The bright spot in this darkness, such as it is, is that it has become harder to sweep these unjustifiable incidents under the rug. Between the internet, the prevalence of cameras, and the growing number of LEO's that are equipped with body cams, the truth tends to come out more often than not. I do know that here in Las Vegas, body cam footage has, on more than one occasion, exonerated LEOs by proving that they acted in accordance with the law and as the situation warranted.

Here's an idea for a national law - make it a federal requirement that all police department/LEOs at all levels (federal, state and local) be equipped with body cams and storage to hold the video for a minimum of 60 days, and fund the initial purchase by cutting out some of the waste in defense spending. Trust me, there's more than enough there to cover the costs of buying equipment for all. I would estimate the number of LEOs in the U.S. to be less than 2 million, but let's say it is 4 million. Even at that number, and using an inflated startup cost of $10,000/LEO, the initial outlay would only be $40 billion. I realize that there is much resistance on the part of the average LEO to this idea, but I think that in the long run, the advantages outweigh the costs.

What say you?