Letter: The risks of policing

It didn’t take long before a letter appeared in the paper halfway justifying the actions of the 5 Memphis police officers. Of course there is danger every time an officer stops a car. Police are familiar with incidents where a traffic stop becomes use of deadly force against them. It is certainly a harrowing an uncertain situation for police, and they approach vehicles with a sense of caution and preparation. But the situation in Memphis was anything but this. Five officers surrounded the car. Not only were they ready for danger, they seemed ready to escalate the encounter evidenced on the video. There are a myriad of issues surrounding policing and appropriate behavior. But for the moment can we lament what happened to Mr. Nichols and recognize the danger in this case was not the lives of the officers, but the death of Nichols. I hope no traffic stops result in the killing of officers doing their duty, nor the traffic suspect killed by overreaction or an angry officer.