Baltimore, Policing, and Politics
By Michael P. Tremoglie

As a police officer, when confronted with a large hostile crowd, I knew there were three possible outcomes and two of them were bad.

• One, I could be permitted to execute my duties and restore order by using whatever force was required. 
• Two, I could be injured or killed. 
• Three, I could be arrested or fired because of Monday Morning Quarterbacks who judged - most likely from bias - that I used excessive force.

(BTW this is what occurs in every police encounter involving the use of force.)

The Baltimore police knew that the Baltimore mayor - the ultimate commander of police - already voiced suspicion about the police actions in the Gray incident. They knew that she already wanted "protesters" protected and room furnished for them to "destroy." They knew that the DOJ was "monitoring" what was occurring during the riots. They knew that there has been a general atmosphere of police bashing emanating from both conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats over the past few years.

Given this environment why should police officers be proactive when the likely outcome will be either injury or dismissal.

The fact is no one knows what caused the fatality in the Gray case. There is data available to indicate that occasionally those in custody are killed by other than police actions ( accident etc). It is certainly not because of racism or police brutality.

But that does not stop the media and "civil rights" leaders from acting as judge jury and executioner. They have pronounced police guilty of murder and racism.

If I were still employed as a writer/journalist, the first thing I would have done regarding the Gray case was to contact experts in spinal cord injuries. I would want to know - and I would want my readers to know - what are the possible ways someone could have sustained such an injury. I would cite the Marc Buoniconti, Dennis Byrd and Mike Utley cases.

But no one has. Why not? 

Everybody is speculating that the injury must have been the result of police 
action. Maybe this is true. But since we do not know would it not make sense to contact scientists and physicians who deal with this and ask them? 

If nothing else there would be at least an educated guess, an informed opinion, instead of the rampant ignorant speculation now in the news.

But ignorance is bliss for the liberal mainstream media and "civil rights" leaders.