The harsh realities of policing

I am a Chicago police officer, and I take issue with some of your opinions (in the editorial “High cost of police misconduct is financially breaking our city.“)

When you are in a traumatic situation and your adrenaline is at high levels, your perception and recollection can be altered by “tunnel vision,” a situation in which all your senses are focused on the immediate threat and other details may not be easily recalled and/or recalled correctly. I speak from experience, as I had a person threatening me with a knife at gunpoint, and did not realize that I told a nearby officer to use her Taser until I later saw the video. FBI agents get 72 hours to make a statement about an incident, while many other law enforcement agencies allow 48 hours. Your desire for an immediate statement after a life-and-death situation, that can then be used against the officer, is unfair and immoral.

Secondly, your argument that people who want to file a complaint shouldn’t be required to sign an affidavit for fear of retaliation is misguided at best. The accused officer knows who the accuser is, whether or not an affidavit is signed, as it is his or her right to defend themselves against said accuser — as is anyone’s right in this country. Simply asking someone to sign that they are making a true statement (even in their perception) is hardly an onerous burden, as opposed to going back to the days when every “bad guy” would automatically file a complaint after any arrest, in the hopes of getting the quick city cash settlement that is very often given.