We expect our local police officers to act in a professional and dignified matter when on duty. They are there to protect us and ensure that criminal acts are stopped. It takes strong character and good moral fiber to uphold this expectation, but it is one that any citizen must be ensured of.

Unfortunately for a 26-year-old man being pursued for various traffic violations, it appears he was not only a victim of disorganized and passive police work, but negligence too. He was shot and killed last week in a seemingly unprovoked manner.

The shocking sequence began when a man was driving through Baltimore County with no headlights on early in the morning. He was twice pursued by police, but in both instances the officers called off the chase. The 26-year-old eventually crashed, and the responding officer got into a fight with the man, who somehow stole the officer's police car.

That car was found at a hotel, and when police responded to the new scene, a truck was leaving the parking lot. They pulled the vehicle over and wrestled three of the four passengers out of the car. The remaining man jumped into the front seat of the truck, drove off and eventually was shot by police officers.

It is not acceptable for any police department to allow someone to twice escape a pursuit for something as minor as no headlights, and then have those failures culminate in the death of a person. This story is compounded by the fact that it does not seem that the victim had a weapon on him or was making any threatening gestures, and yet the police used excessive force.

Police departments are held to a very high standard, and that is to ensure the safety of the public. This story shows that when the police are disorganized and lack restraint when trying to enforce the law, serious incidents and consequences can come of it. The family of the victim in this case may have the grounds to pursue legal action for the potential negligence showed by Baltimore County officers.

Source: Baltimore Sun, "Man shot and killed by police Tuesday morning," Jon Meoli, Feb. 2, 2012