Policing Police
Anti-police sentiments have been steadily gathering steam, gaining new followers, and leading to calls for Civilian Review Boards. But such boards are counterproductive.
On October 20, 2014, Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke — along with at least eight other officers — responded to a call of a young black man breaking into cars. When Van Dyke arrived on the scene, that young man, Laquan McDonald, who was carrying a small folding knife, was walking down the street away from officers who had him mostly surrounded. Though no other officer on the scene felt the need to use lethal force, Van Dyke drew his weapon as soon as he exited his vehicle and began walking toward McDonald. Seconds later, he began firing at McDonald, who was walking away from him and was more than a road lane’s width away. By the time Van Dyke had been on the scene 30 seconds, he had fired 16 rounds into McDonald — the last 14 of those as McDonald lay dead or dying on the asphalt.
Because of the evidence, including an autopsy and a dash-cam video — which both conflicted with accounts offered by Van Dyke and some of the other officers in their official reports — Van Dyke was indicted by a grand jury on December 16, 2015. The charges were first-degree murder and official misconduct. When the case went to trial in September 2018, the charges were first-degree murder, official misconduct, and 16 counts of aggravated battery, one for each shot Van Dyke fired into McDonald.
On October 5, 2018, the jury found Van Dyke guilty of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, but not guilty of official misconduct. They deliberated for less than eight hours and said the verdict only took as long as it did because they debated between first-degree murder and second-degree murder.
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