Monday, March 14, 2016
New Study Shows Even If Cops Commit a Crime on Video, 96% of the Time they Aren’t Prosecuted
By Claire Bernish
Police in the United States managed to escape prosecution when facing allegations they violated civil rights an incredible 96 percent of the time. This is almost the exact opposite of the conviction rate for everyone else, as normal citizens are are prosecuted at a rate of 93 percent.
The investigation by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (the Trib), based on an analysis of nearly 3 million federal records, found that from 1995 through 2015, federal prosecutors overwhelmingly opted not to pursue prosecution. Indeed, the 96 percent refusal to press charges sharply contrasts with the rejection rate for all other complaints — just 23 percent.
Investigators found the most common reasons given for refusing to prosecute officers were “weak or insufficient evidence, lack of criminal intent required under a 1945 Supreme Court ruling standard, and orders from the Justice Department.”
Continue Reading at .... http://www.activistpost.com/2016/03/new-study-shows-even-if-cops-commit-a-crime-on-video-96-of-the-time-they-arent-prosecuted.html