I have written before advocating a dialogue regarding police use of deadly force, investigation of such incidents, and the role of grand juries with respect to such investigations. I have also noted that anyone with a reasonable proposal for reform should be welcome at the table.
The contrast between the shooting of Michael Brown by former Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson, and that of Walter Scott by (now former) North Charleston, South Carolina officer Michael Slager, is telling. It seems clear from his radio transmissions that Slager is unaware that someone caught the incident on a cell phone camera.
Anyone willing to acquaint himself sufficiently with the details of these incidents (especially the Ferguson shooting) should be able to understand why swift action, including being fired from the police force and being charged with murder, was taken against Slager, while, conversely, a much more deliberate process resulted in no such action being taken against Wilson.
In both cases, the system has worked as it was intended to do.
Ken K. Gourdin
Tooele