I caught the first few minutes of the news last night and saw the video of the chase and capture again. (Actually, I got to see it several more times, thanks to the newscast showing clips of it over and over again.) Having the chance to take it all in again allowed me to try and objectively critique it at arms length.
It appears to me that the Maplewood Police Officers involved did indeed cross the line of taking a suspet into custody and used unnecessary force. It becomes clear that the force used was beyond what was needed to get the suspect into handcuffs when you see the cuffs put on the man and one of the officers continues to punch his head, while another takes a step back and kicks and stomps on his legs. It is only after one of the officers looks up and sees the helicopter that the beating stops. You can almost hear him shouting "Reporter! News helicopter!"
Now the Missouri Highway Patrol is going to review the case to determine if anything about the arrest was not conducted in the manner which adheres to the law. If they come back without any type of reprimand or punishment against the officers involved, there is going to be a serious problem. And if this is a recurring problem within the department like this man claims, there needs to be a deeper inquiry into the whole department from the top down.
Again, I support the officers who are doing their jobs in the correct manner, but I am wholeheartedly against officers abusing their position of power and authority to beat on a handcuffed man.
I am not too proud to say that I was wrong about my first opinion.
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