Baltimore prosecutors dropped all charges against the officers implicated in the death of Freddie Gray — an outcome many legal experts argue is typical in a justice system designed to insulate police actions resulting in death.
Gray, a 25-year-old African American man, sustained fatal neck injuries in the back of a police van last year and his death while in cop custody sparked riots in Baltimore and a national re-examination of fatal interactions between law enforcement and the minority communities they serve. Although the officers charged in Gray's death did not use lethal force — most police-related deaths result from police shootings — the decisions behind these actions are seldom questioned and officers are rarely charged let alone convicted. "The legal system doesn't like second guessing police officers because they know the job is hard and violent and they have to keep bad guys off the streets," said Bowling Green State University criminologist Philip Stinson.
According to data by Stinson, who studies officer arrests, from 2005 to 2014, only 48 on-duty officers have been charged for murder or manslaughter for the use of lethal force.
A small number compared to the thousands of officers who have shot and killed someone, Stinson said.
