SPD officer seen kicking teen on surveillance tape won't be charged

[The Straight Story]

SPD officer seen kicking teen on surveillance tape won't be charged

SEATTLE —

Seattle police Officer James J. Lee, who was seen on a surviellance tape last year kicking a teenage suspect inside a mini mart, will not face charges in the case, city attorney Pete Holmes said Wednesday.

Lee was facing a January trial in the incident, in which he was seen bursting into a convenience store and kicking the teen after Seattle police had been attacked nearby during a narcotics buy/bust operation, the city attorney’s office said.

KIRO Team 7 Investigators first reported on the incident last year.

The charges were dropped after an expert witness with the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission issued an expert opinion that included a reading of Lee’s “use of force” statement, which the expert witness previously did not have access to. The witness had initially opined that he considered Lee’s first two kicks reasonable uses of force but that he was unsure of whether a third kick to the suspect’s head was necessary.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/spd-officer-seen-kicking-teen-surveillance-tape-wo/nFk7Z/

[hifiguy]

1. Are they ever?

The cops are the only people with a license to commit everything from assault to flat-out murder and never be held responsible for their actions.

When was the last time a cop in this country went to jail for assaulting or killing a citizen?