Jonathan Porter

Professor H. Bown
English 2100
03/09/15
Why Blame the Police Officer?
In August of 2014, when the TV was turned on, all that would appear were
news reports, stories and opinions about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson,
Missouri. As time went on, the tension between the local law enforcement and the
community escalated. As the investigation continued, so did public protesting. In
time, the Supreme Court ruled that Officer Wilson wasnt at fault during the
shooting. Angry at the court ruling, the citizens of Ferguson erupted in rioting after
months of protesting. Incidents like this have happened multiple times recently and
police officers are getting more and more flak from communities and the press. This
is a problem, but are law enforcement officers really the ones we should blame?
According to the issued police report and several eyewitnesses who saw the
Ferguson shooting happen, it is apparent that the Officer Wilson was not at fault but
rather Brown, the victim, acted in an aggressive, violent manner that required
Officer Wilson to protect himself and the community from a possible threat. This is
exactly what communities dont understand. Officers dont just kill people for fun.
They do their best to protect the community. Police officers are people, too. The
thought of actually killing another human being is unthinkable to the majority of
people. Actually pulling the trigger and having to live with the consequences of

knowing you took the life of another human being is a huge burden that weighs a
person down.
The events in Ferguson, Missouri transpired a while back, but there are still
police shootings happening. Locally, in Draper, Utah, on January 14, 2015, Officer
Vincent used his handgun against 34-year-old Jeffery Nielson. In an interview with
Deputy Chief Eining of the Draper Police Department, he told me that Officer
Vincent had thirty-eight seconds between when he ran for his car, brandished a
knife, and when shots were fired. Thirty-eight seconds. When was the last time
anyone had to make a life-changing decision in 38 seconds? What would anyone do
in a situation where a life-threatening danger posed itself to you, your colleagues or
your community? Can people really blame a police officer for using deadly force
against a man handling a knife who, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, had over
twenty felony and misdemeanor charges on his record? Do members of a
community really want that type of man in their community?
Another detail that I found to be very interesting during my interview with
Chief Eining was that he said, as an opinion, that maybe police officers just happen
to be running into people with more belligerent, anti-police attitudes. I found it
interesting how in all four 2015 Utah fatal shootings that weapons were found on
the suspects. In three of those four shootings, weapons were brandished against
police officers as an attempt to resist arrest. I was even talking to a highway patrol
officer that stopped to help me fix a blown out tire on the freeway who said that the
federal government was trying to incorporate a policy where police officers have to
close their eyes and relax for three seconds before making a decision. So these
police officers are supposed to close their eyes as they are stabbed or bludgeoned

to death? Should we really blame the police officer when he or she is only trying to
protect himself and the community he serves?
Mass media and radical activists may often tell us that police officers are the
ones who are to blame. However, as is often the case, activists rarely look at the
counterarguments and we all know that the media makes money off of the
controversial topics. Putting down the very men and women who risk their lives to
protect and serve us is definitely not a very good way to show our appreciation for
their service. Respect and sophistication, not primal anger and belligerence, is how
we should always deal with any stranger, especially those in law enforcement. If we
feel that police officers are easily provoked and disrespectful towards us then I feel
that we should follow the teachings of Gandhi when he said that one should Be the
change that you wish to see in the world.