Governor Larry Hogan, admitted the futility of due process. He did this by stating that the remaining trials against officers accused in the murder of Freddie Gray are “a waste of time and money.”
As reported by the Washington Post,
“Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he doesn’t see the point of moving forward with charges against three officers in the death of a black man who was fatally injured in the back of a police van, now that three other officers have been acquitted.”
Freddie Gray, just 25 years old, died from injuries sustained in police custody on April 12, 2015. The state medical examiner’s office stated that Gray’s death was a homicide.
What is confirmed is that, Officers failed to follow basic safety procedures such as the use of safety belts. They ignored Gray’s pleas for medical attention. Gray, who was cuffed at both hands and feet would not have been able to secure himself in the police van. It was in the police van that he suffered from three broken vertebrae and an injured voice box.
Many speculate that Gray received a “rough ride” which is an unsanctioned punitive police tactic known to have been used in Baltimore.
Gray was not arrested on criminal charges, rather he was arrested for fleeing when he saw police.
Gray’s family lawyer William Murphy stated,
“The last I heard, a black man running is not a crime… His mistake was not running fast enough… It looks very much like this was arrest without probable cause.”
Six officers were indicted for their involvement of in Gray’s death with charges ranging from second degree assault to depraved heart murder.
Officer Edward Nero, and the driver of the van Officer Ceasar Goodson were both acquitted.
Most recently, Lieutenant Brian Rice was found not guilty on all charges associated with the death of Freddie Gray.
Sergeant Alicia White and Officer Garrett Miller have yet to be tried. Officer William Porter’s trial ended in a hung jury. Porter is expected to be retried in September.
While there is not yet a mandated national database for the number of killings of civilians by police, estimates put that number around 1,000 a year. From 1,000 deaths, approximately five a year will face trial and one will lead to conviction. This means that police are convicted in 0.1 percent of killings of civilians.
With such statistics it’s easy to identify with the idea that trying police officers are a futile process. However, having a governor admit that is disturbing.
If you would like to make it mandatory for police departments to be transparent and participate in mandatory reporting, please sign the American Civil Liberties Union petition.
Image via Flickr by Maryland GovPics under The Creative Commons License 2.0.
