The Ferguson Solution

In the United States, police have a very serious credibility problem. The Grand Jury system maintains an antiquated system which favors one side, or the other. Its major weakness is that it is not transparent. Meetings are in-camera. That's never a good thing in the course of any true justice.

... Police shouldn't investigate police. Were it not for the creation of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the Sammy Yatim shooting may very well blown up into riots.

... The State of Missouri has no equivalent system. People don't trust police, and the larger the gulf of trust, the greater the rioting. The evidence collected and presented to the Grand Jury was collected largely by the same police department as the officer.

... Authorities did try to get another police department to handle the case. The FBI was invited in. Then they pulled out of the furball a few weeks later and citing lack of evidence to make a charge as an excuse.

... The beauty of the Ontario SIU, is that it is an independent civilian body semi detached from the Attorney General's office. The minute, the second a police officer stops firing a gun in the course of duty, then the SIU takes over the case. Its automatic. No display of political ambivalence or delay. Police have no other option. While policemen don't like the SIU, over time I believe that they are beginning to appreciate that this is a blind process. In fact, it protects police from the effects of social out rage.

... When I see, the terrible events occurring there. Its tragic. If the State of Missouri, or any other province or state doesn't have an SIU system, expect riots.