Police Brutality: Houston Style

It isn't often that the mayor, the police chief, and the prosecutor all conspire to prevent the release the evidence of police brutality, but Houston has won the trifecta. From the local Houston ABC television station:



Not just the local officials, but a federal judge tried to suppress the release of this tape. The classic argument is used that if the tape is released then the "fairness" any trial will be undermined. By that logic, you should blind and cut the tongue out of any witness to a crime because his ability to talk will "prejudice" the trial. All witnesses should be shackled to the wall of a dungeon until the court date. Ridiculous! A videotape is better than any witness because the videotape doesn't have a weak memory that can be subtly distorted by opinion over time. Hiding facts is the opposite of what you want if you seek to have a society ruled by "law" and not by "men" (meaning the powerful few who can buy off or subvert justice).

I have no love for burglers. I've been the victim several times. But I want a professional police force, not thugs. The fact that the city authorities shielded the police from the evidence of their crime is really disturbing. You won't improve your policing unless you admit you have a problem!

What bothers me is the official coverup. And, as usual, the police thugs are being paid to take a vacation. From a local TV station:

All of the men remain on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Seems to me, an "investigation" can be done in less than an hour and those thugs should have their pay and benefits terminated as well as they employment with the Houston police department.