Police standards should protect everyone

LETTERS LETTERS@USATODAY.COM

Having a use-of-force policy is

great, and policies are always “perfect” until the situation goes sideways and officers have to use their judgment to make split-second decisions. In other words, I don’t think having a uniform policy on use of force is the answer to the perceived problem of too many police-involved shootings.

Any death is tragic, and there have been a number of shootings where decisions made by police officers, with 20/20 hindsight, were not perfect decisions. But when you consider the number of encounters our police have every day — with felons, gang members, those impaired by substances — the number of police-involved shootings is relatively small.

I don’t think many people understand just how dangerous their job is. We seem to be at a point where the press wants to believe officers are wrong and that the person shot was a victim of overly aggressive police. That is rarely the case. I certainly don’t want to live in a country without police protecting us. We need to support our police in a more positive manner.

The news media seem to pander to special interest groups. Coverage of issues is so biased that many are just tuning out other voices. We should be able to get on the same page about supporting our law enforcement personnel and appreciating how dangerous and difficult their job is. Keith Martin Advance, N.C.

FACEBOOK FACEBOOK.COM/ USATODAYOPINION

Police perception has taken a hit because pretty much everyone now carries a cellphone, and bad conduct is displayed on the Internet. But this is nothing new. Blacks and Latinos have been complaining about it for decades. Stephen Cooper

Any use-of-force policy should not make it more dangerous for officers. They are public workers and the rules should not increase the hazard of their job. Frank Loncar

I’d like to see cops walking a beat as they used to. It would allow officers to get to know people in the areas they patrol and maybe there would be more trust. Steve Porter

TWITTER @USATOPINION

We asked our followers why they think it’s hard to convict police officers in cases involving deadly use of force.

Because that’s how the system works now. We used to depend on police officers to protect us from harm. Now, their only concern is to protect themselves. @Al_TheQyetStorm

Questioning officers’ judgment could become a slippery slope. Many problems may ensue. We need to trust that our police have very high moral, ethical standards! @KatyDSam

All a cop has to say is they feared they were in danger and gullible jurors buy it. Also, some people think cops only kill bad guys. @GaLiberal

Cops get off because they only need to claim fear. “I was so afraid that (insert person of color) might look at me, I had to shoot.” @TheSubwayWall

For more, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday.