I’ve made a conscious effort around here to dwell not so heavily on the negative. That doesn’t mean it’s not there, or that it’s to be ignored or downplayed, but simply a recognition that there are positive things to highlight, too, as well as some pointed questions to ask — in addition to always only passing summary judgment — and I want to do more of that.

Still, it’s very difficult to shake it — the urge to highlight the negative and pass swift judgment — when the shame and disgrace is this bad.

The whole story, here.

Now, you can come up with any characterization of officers Melody Spencer and Kevin Schnell of the Kansas City Police Department that you like. For me, a single word came to mind as I watched that video: animals.

I was watching a Discovery HD show last night and, amazingly, saw nighttime footage of a pride of lions in Botswana take down a large bull elephant because it was the only thing left to eat. But they’re predators. That’s their nature and we can’t fault them for it. Give them a larger brain; put them in uniform; arm them with a club, handcuffs, and a gun; and teach them the law. But after all of it, they’ll still be predators. They’ll just be using new tools, instead of fangs and claws. Can anyone tell me that characterization isn’t apt?

But maybe the best question of all is to reflect on just what produces people who behave like this. And what I mean by that is implicit in the fact that that there was not one, but two supposedly professional police officers whose supposed duty it is to "protect and serve." This is not precisely the same question that would arise if it had been but a single officer on the scene, or if, of the two present, one had objected strenuously to the behavior and actions of the other. From what I can see, it’s just two robots programmed to act like animals, going about their programming.

So, who and what is programming them, and why?

(Balko)