Today's Verdict Will Now Put All Law Enforcement Officers Around This Country On Notice To...

[regnaD kciN]

2. "...you MIGHT find yourself in prison..."

Let me be clear: we should be happy with this verdict, because any other outcome would have been devastating, and this does send a message in many places.

But to think it will put "All" LEO "On Notice"...? Maybe. But I have a hard time thinking that this will cause police in, say, Lubbock, Texas or somewhere in rural Mississippi or Idaho to rein in their behavior toward BIPOC. I'm sure it hasn't escaped some police officers' notice that this happened in a notably "liberal" city, where the mayor and the police department themselves denounced Chauvin's behavior. If this happened in a place where the "thin blue line" held, and local leadership rallied around "supporting our police, would the same outcome ensue.

Plus, as I noted elsewhere, what this establishes is that there are some limits to use of police force. What those limits are has yet to be determined, and will probably vary a lot from place to place. Still, it is a good first step. I don't want to think what message would have been sent by an acquittal today.