I wonder if Liberal “Catch and release” policies are causing frustration on the part of certain officers that causes them to feel compelled to dish out a little street justice before taking the suspect in. I am not suggesting this should be “Unofficial” policy, rather I am trying to understand why, after all the media attention on police abuse, these officers seemed comfortable in beating this suspect. Then again, is it not public knowledge by now that committing a crime and resisting arrest entails certain personal risks? Is it possible that certain members of the community are reasonably fearful of the police, or at least the “Task force” in question, leading to their risky “Defensive” actions? Not trying to justify the suspects actions, rather trying to understand why the suspect apparently felt compelled to drive home rather than pulling over. Oh well, let Darwin sort them out, whether it is officers or criminals, I suppose.
It seems reasonable to conclude there are significant deficiencies in initial and or periodic training of Memphis police officers, likely including screening challenges when hiring officers (Although the recruiting pool may be small as presumably many may not want to officers in the current political environment). If the police officer hiring pool is a constraint in finding qualified officers, then it becomes a legislative and perhaps a media matter. The key for effecting positive changes in police enforcement is understanding in detail the motivations of all parties concerned and addressing those motivations appropriately.