I really should not get involved in this as my opinion won't be popular based on the comments in thread.
I am retired Law Enforcement (local, state, or federal is not really important) so away I go dipping my toes into the boiling hot water against my better judgement..
Sure there are bad people in Law Enforcement at all levels but they are few and far in-between. Most are hard working and only want to do their job and go home at the end of the day.
Every profession has bad apples. Accountants, judges, politicians, doctors, lawyers, ect, ect, ect. Name a profession and there are people who should not be doing what they are doing. In the instance of Law Enforcement it's magnified, and rightfully so because they are carrying a weapon and are authorized to use deadly force.
The incidents in the news recently are over blown in my opinion.
The incident in Ferguson where the city was burned to ground was because ONE person said the suspect had his hands in the air. All the protests and city torching were over ONE person telling what was later proven to be a lie. From what I know of that situation, the officer was more than justified in the shooting.
The incident in Cleveland. Reports from citizens were there was a person with a gun. I doubt many, if anyone at all, could tell the difference between a real gun and the toy guns that are out there now. If what you think is a real gun is pointed at you, you have 2 choices. 1) Save your life or 2) Die. Which would you choose? Are you willing to roll the dice that it's a fake gun? By the time you realize it was not you are either already dead or on the ground bleeding to death.
Which is real and which is fake in this photo? Now before you answer you must decide in a split second and at a distance.
The incident in Baltimore. Something went wrong but what? Have you ever watched that TV show COPS? Yes it's a dumb show BUT how many times have you seen a person thrusting, kicking, banging their head after they are placed inside of a police car?
Now the incident where I agree was 100% wrong was where the officer shot the person in the back as he was running away. From what I can tell, that person had nothing in their hands and was just trying to get away.
That's my, what's sure to be unpopular, two cents.