And justice for all

Federal prosecutors won a meaningful measure of justice Tuesday: On the eve of trial, Michael Slager, the white former police officer who in April 2015 in South Carolina shot black motorist Walter Scott eight times, hitting him thrice in the back and killing him, pled guilty to violating Scott’s civil rights.

Slager had claimed his pulls of the trigger were motivated by “total fear” for his life. Following a traffic stop, Scott supposedly wrestled away his Taser, precipitating the deadly use of force.

Later-revealed bystander video left no doubt that Scott was fleeing Slager when Slager fired, laying bare the insanity of the self-defense claim — and underlining the necessity of equipping cops with video cameras.

If a case this open-and-shut could not result in a guilty verdict, it was fair to assume, no case could.

Yet unconscionably, nonsensically, a South Carolina jury deadlocked in a mistrial last year.

Which is where properly assertive prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice stepped in, and won a vital legal victory.

Consistent federal scrutiny of local law enforcement must not abate under a Justice Department now led by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has signaled he takes police abuses less seriously than his recent predecessors.

Even as the vast majority of police do their work with skill and restraint, misconduct continues.

Tuesday, cops in a Dallas suburb struggled to explain why they changed their story regarding the weekend shooting death of Jordan Edwards, a 15-year-old killed outside a house party.

The local police chief first said officers fired into a car after teenagers backed it toward them “in an aggressive manner.” Body camera footage revealed the vehicle was in fact driving forward, away from the police. Monday, the chief admitted to having “mispoke.”

After police use deadly force, swift airing of video evidence is essential. And if the local criminal justice process fails and the evidence warrants, the feds must press ahead.