there is a serious problem with regard to police shooting of unarmed people. the videos, news reports, public protests and demonstrations go all outraged and sometimes violent before the totality of the incidents is known. all I am saying is that the fact that the person shot was found later to have been unarmed does not necessarily mean the police acted wrongly. Furthermore I think you're wrong when you say police always get away with it.

@iThink Oh I think they get away with it far,far more than not and I don't see how you can say that killing an unarmed man isn't wrong. Unless he is attacking you of course. No doubt that many police shootings are misrepresented by the media, and only fools rush to judgement. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of fools. My position is fairly straightforward. police are given an extraordinary amount of power and the risks are well known, therefore they MUST be completely sure before pulling that trigger and if they act hastily or out of fear and kill someone that did not pose an immediate threat to them or others then they should be subject to the same laws as everyone else. Again, "I THOUGHT my life was in danger" isn't good enough.

some months back there was an incident where police rec'd a report of a man walking on a city sidewalk who was randomly walking up to people and pointing what appeared to be a handgun at them. Police arrive, see the man pointing something that looks very much like a gun. They wind up shooting him dead. Turned out the object was not a gun - technically he was unarmed - it was a piece of plumbing pipe. He was clearly trying to make people believe it was gun. Just one example of how a persons behavior, body language, voice, posture, appearance often can turn into a lethal encounter when after the fact reporters private citizens mobs pass judgement on it when they have no idea of what really transpired. I am sure there have been police shootings that were not justified at all and in some of those cases the cops "got away with it" but those are rare. @Boardwine

@iThink maybe in Canada sir. But I assure you they are not uncommon in the States. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate the police. And I've no doubt that 99.5% of police shootings are justified. As in the case you describe. But by contrast 2 California cops were not charged for shooting a unarmed person in his families backyard Was that guy a saint? No a scumbag theft who was breaking into cars. But he had a cell phone in his hand. Not a gun. and he was running away. The video clearly shows that the cops waited less than 2 seconds before firing. My point being that they acted out of fear and if you or I were to do the same we'd be charged. I think the easy fix is mandatory body cams that are not controlled by the wearing officer.

if I were a cop I would be begging for a body cam. @Boardwine

@iThink no you would not. That is another story!

@Boardwine in recent times there have been several "unarmed" men fatally shot by police that were justified. In one case a man had fashioned a piece of plumbing pipe so that it looked like a firearm - he was walking up to people on the street pointing this fake pistol at them - he lifted his arm and pointed it al police who then shot him dead.Technically the man was unarmed. The police and the people this man terrorized had no way of knowing the "gun" was a piece of plumbing pipe designed to look like a handgun. Justified shooting here. In another case a man was confronted by police who told him to take his hand out of his pocket - Police will always need to see your hands when they confront you - the man pulled a cell phone up in a rapid motion and raised it as if pointing a gun - the police shot him dead. Technically this man was "unarmed". Try being a cop for a day - try being a cop in a heavily populated inner core of a major metro area...see how often you feel like your life is in peril...I don't think you would last a whole day on patrol. Try it - let us know how that works out for you.

@Serg97 please elaborate - tell us why any patrol officer might not want a body cam?