Seems to me that entire Baltimore PD needs a thorough investigation and clean out, by an impartial outside authority, like our Royal Commissions here that have flushed out a LOT of ingrained corruption and nepotism from various police Depts around the country.
I can tell you, it has improved not only our police force, but the public's perception and trust in the police as well.
Anyway, to me this all seems like just background noise, to detract from the disturbing fact Rice, with his highly disturbing history of violence and mental ill health, had his hands on a prisoner (one he had allegedly beaten before) who died - and very feasibly COULD have caused an initial injury that was exacerbated by rough treatment during transport.
The corruption in this country starts at the top many times with elected officials who are in government offices whether it is federal, state or local level.
They need to clean all those out before they get to the cops. 99% of the cops here do a great service for their communities. We seem to see more corruption cases by higher officials in government.
Many cases where LE has to shoot a suspect it is ruled justifiable.
Arrest-Related Deaths, 2003-2009 - Statistical Tables
November 17, 2011 NCJ 235385
Provides data on the circumstances of deaths that occur during, or shortly after, state or local law enforcement officers engage in an arrest or restraint process. Data from the Arrest-Related Deaths (ARD) component of the Deaths in Custody Reporting Program (DCRP) represent a national accounting of persons who have died during the process of arrest from 2003 through 2009. The ARD program includes homicides by law enforcement personnel as well as deaths attributed to suicide, intoxication, accidental injury, and natural causes. Data collected include information about the date of death, manner and cause of death, the decedent's demographic characteristics, the decedent's behavior during the events leading up to the death, and the tactics and weapons used by law enforcement personnel.
Highlights:
A total of 4,813 deaths were reported to the Arrest-Related Deaths program from January 2003 through December 2009.
Of reported arrest-related deaths, 61% (2,931) were classified as homicides by law enforcement personnel, 11% (541) were suicides, 11% (525) were due to intoxication, 6% (272) were accidental injuries, and 5% (244) were attributed to natural causes.
State and local law enforcement agencies employing 100 or more full-time sworn personnel accounted for 75% of the 4,813 arrest-related deaths reported during 2003-2009.
Among reported arrest-related deaths, 42% of persons were white, 32% were black, and 20% were Hispanic.
http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2228