Every day we place an enormous amount of trust in the police to keep the peace and protect us from violence. More than that, we expect a perfect duality — we ask officers to make split-second life-or-death decisions while possessing the wisdom and wherewithal to slow down, evaluate, and proceed cautiously. We ask police to be masters of peaceful de-escalation while also being tactically prepared to operate like a special-forces soldier if an active-shooter situation arises.
And these highly scrutinized officers, having everything they do recorded, must do all of it without making one single mistake. The consequences of their decisions can be fatal.
I realize these expectations are high, and rightfully so. That is the commitment we make when we take the oath.
Full story: Do we expect too much from police officers?