# Are there any practical improvements that can be made to American policing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 26, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-practical-improvements-that-can-be-made-to-american-policing/705698 "2014-11-26T18:01:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-practical-improvements-that-can-be-made-to-american-policing/705698/81 "2014-12-03T14:18:02Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Furthermore, there is a growing number of news commentators (many of whom are white, BTW, like Piers Morgan and former prosecutor Nancy Grace) who think Wilson is outright lying about some of the key facts, which is certainly very plausible and makes his position even more indefensible. You take Nancy Grace and Piers Morgan seriously? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-practical-improvements-that-can-be-made-to-american-policing/705698/82 "2014-12-03T23:14:07Z")
Another day, [another grand jury declines to indict a police officer for murder](http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/justice/new-york-grand-jury-chokehold/index.html?hpt=hp_t1). And this time there _ **was** _ a video, and it clearly showed overreaction by the police. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-practical-improvements-that-can-be-made-to-american-policing/705698/83 "2014-12-03T23:20:18Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Another day, [another grand jury declines to indict a police officer for murder](http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/justice/new-york-grand-jury-chokehold/index.html?hpt=hp_t1). And this time there _ **was** _ a video, and it clearly showed overreaction by the police. Yeah, I saw that. ☹ I thought choke holds were phased out and not lawful, but I guess some police haven’t gotten the message. The really sad part is, the guy was being accosted because he was (illegally) selling cigarettes singly. Seems a rather minor offense to be killed for. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-practical-improvements-that-can-be-made-to-american-policing/705698/84 "2014-12-03T23:56:29Z")
> [@XT](#): > > The really sad part is, the guy was being accosted because he was (illegally) selling cigarettes singly. Seems a rather minor offense to be killed for. No, he was accosted for resisting arrest. He was being arrested for selling cigarettes singly. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-practical-improvements-that-can-be-made-to-american-policing/705698/85 "2014-12-04T16:28:21Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > No, he was accosted for resisting arrest. He was being arrested for selling cigarettes singly. You have that totally backwards. He was accosted for selling cigarettes. When told to stop he then resisted, which would have lead to him being arrested had they not choked him to death. Regardless, it’s a pretty minor thing for someone to lose their life over, selling individual cigarettes to people for $.50 a piece, when you look at all of the other criminal problems we have. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-practical-improvements-that-can-be-made-to-american-policing/705698/86 "2014-12-04T19:03:50Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Regardless, it’s a pretty minor thing for someone to lose their life over, selling individual cigarettes to people for $.50 a piece, when you look at all of the other criminal problems we have. He didn’t lose his life over selling loose cigarettes. Just like Brown didn’t lose his life over jaywalking. That’s trying to obfuscate things. He lost his life over resisting arrest. And Brown lost his life over assaulting police officer, trying to get to his gun, then advancing on a police officer holding the gun shouting at him to stop. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-practical-improvements-that-can-be-made-to-american-policing/705698/87 "2014-12-04T19:43:56Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > No, he was accosted for resisting arrest. Look up “accosted.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-practical-improvements-that-can-be-made-to-american-policing/705698.md?page=4)