Saturday 19 March 2022

"It is the ancient instinct of terriers and policemen to chase anything that runs away."

No charges will be filed against the Chicago police officers who chased and fatally shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo and 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez within days of each other last year, prompting sharp criticism of how the department handles foot pursuits, a prosecutor announced on Tuesday.

Well, why should they have charges filed against them? Weren't they doing exactly what we keep policemen - and terriers - for..?  

The Cook county state’s attorney, Kim Foxx, said there was insufficient evidence to charge the officers in the deaths, which were captured on video that showed both suspects appeared to have handguns before the shootings.

QED! 

In both Chicago shootings, officers chased suspects on foot – a highly unpredictable situation that critics, including the US Department of Justice, have said is dangerous for both officers and suspects and leads to too many unnecessary shootings.

Define 'unnecessary' - I'd have though getting armed felons off the streets by any means necessary was a defining factor of their job! 

After the shootings last year, Chicago’s mayor, Lori Lightfoot, demanded the police department come up with a clear foot pursuit policy – something that has been discussed for years but has not happened. Chicago police now say they are finalizing a policy, though one still is not in place.

Hopefully it'll say 'We're still going after armed people who refuse to stop when ordered to do so. Sorry if that loses you a voter or two'. 

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