With this latest surge in police/civilian related deaths, I am sure that many of us have become concerned. I truly understand the split second decisions that face the police. However, they are expected to be above what you and I, the public, would do in the same situation. Perhaps it is lack of training, adrenaline rush or whatever, but people should not be dying because they “failed to follow the officer’s commands.”

I am sure that everyone has at least seen the “COPS” show, if not witnessed a police confrontation at some point in real life. When did all the screaming/yelling by the officers, and often by many of them, begin? It is not unusual to see a dozen police officers standing over one suspect. When I see this stuff on our local news, it appears that everyone of them wants a piece of the guy. This was painfully obvious when viewing the stomping of the Hispanic man in Seattle. One officer even walked over to stomp on the suspect, who was lying on the ground, and then she calmly just walked back to her spot.

I have seen as many as a dozen officers trying to cuff someone. They are all screaming “Stop resisting” and it is obvious that he had already stopped any kind of resisting, and sometimes they are even unconscious!

Something is terribly wrong here. If these kinds of situations continue, people will be afraid to call the police. Maybe their friend or relative is mentally ill. That should not be a death sentence.

Linda Varon

Marysville