From: A Safely-Retired Law Enforcement Veteran [Email him]

I believe that the Federal prosecution is an attempt to push for a plea in a case that will be extremely difficult to prove. Especially in the context of the not guilty verdicts that just occurred in Baltimore. They are piling charges onto a defendant that has been at times held without bond, tried in the court of liberal public opinion by the MSM and had his employment terminated. He has no income, a family to worry about and now he knows even if he wins a not guilty verdict he will face a second round of prosecutions for the same event in federal court.

While it is relatively rare for cops to be charged with civil rights violations in federal court when they have already been charged in a state court, it is frequent enough that we all know it is always looming in the background. The federal courts are actually easier to obtain a conviction in than the state courts. If there is any doubt, ask the officers from the Rodney King case. They were all exonerated in the state court and later found guilty in federal court. The federal prosecutions were flawed and you are aware of all the issues there.

The fact is, this man who should have the [same] rights as regular citizens, does not. He has been treated differently at every step in the process. From being held without bond to the most recent event of being charged by the federal court system.

Civil Rights violations charges are intended to protect us from the government employees who set out with the intention to use the authority as government officials unlawfully. There is no possible way for any reasonable person to think that Slager set out that [day] to shoot anyone let alone the guy he shot. The shooting when a traffic stop which was completely valid and legal by any standard turned violent. It was not the officer who escalated the situation. It was not the officer who initiated the violence, it was the suspect. The suspect basically overwhelmed the officer, stripped him of his Taser, escaped from custody, and fled. The shooting occurred in a matter of seconds after the officer was violently assaulted. No one who is in a violent struggle that lasts a brief period of seconds to a few minutes could reasonably be believed to have suddenly decided to violate a suspect’s rights and then carried out an intentional and planned civil rights violation. It is not just that I do not believe Slager did, I do not believe it is rational to believe anyone in the same circumstance could have.

I strongly suggest that you go to Forcescience.org  and look at some of the material on high stress incidents and officer reactions and memory. The following quote is from their site

"Our goal is to provide information on human behaviors during high-stress, rapidly unfolding encounters to those who are tasked with evaluating and investigating the behavior of individuals involved in these events. It is our hope that we can support their efforts to ensure that these evaluations are thoroughly informed, fair and fact-finding."

Nicholas Stix: We at VDARE.com have been fortunate to have the assistance of a retired, career (thirty-year-man), Midwestern lawman with a deep understanding of the law, who has advised us and commented on the war on the police. I contacted our friend, regarding the new federal charges against Michael Slager, and he sent me the following letter. I think him for his valued input.