The lessons of Charlotte

While higher authorities decide whether to criminally charge the cops who fatally shot Keith Scott in Charlotte, the malfeasance of Police Chief Kerr Putney is proven beyond any doubt. Putney’s defiant, evidence-free pronouncements about the killing, along with his adamant initial refusal to release police video of the killing, stand as a textbook demonstration of what not to do under such circumstances.

Authorities across the country must recognize that many Americans have lost faith in the criminal justice system’s capacity to hold errant cops to account.

More than ever, the public demands transparency, plus a credible sense that the investigative deck is not stacked.

In many instances, evidence will clearly show that a cop has fired in self-defense or is clearly guilty of homicide. At other times, as in Charlotte, video recordings will be subject to interpretation.

Wherever a shooting falls on that spectrum, authorities must assure the public that they will make recordings available as soon as possible under the constraints of an investigation.

The day after the shooting, Putney backed the officers and wrongly cited a law as barring release of the video.

When his stance fell apart, Putney claimed releasing the recording would harm an investigation. Rather than pledge to make the information public at an appropriate time, he said he would need “a compelling reason” to do so.

Finally, under national pressure, Putney released recordings that neither condemned nor exonerated the cops. The lesson for authorities is that appearing to cover up and rushing to judgment is a doomed and destructive strategy.