David Harris on the Difficulties of Prosecuting Police Officers

Professor David Harris told the Seattle Times that any attempt to prosecute police officers for criminal wrongdoing faces considerable difficulties, even in egregious cases.  The law gives the police the right to use force, and standards for what constitutes excessive force are often quite open ended.  In addition, prosecuting police goes against the grain for most jurors, who view police as "good guys"  who uphold the law.  "Putting a police officer on trial effectively turns the world upside down for the average person." Link