It's Watch!... Neighborhood Watch. Not shoot.

Zimmerman should be brought to justice. I'm not down with the bounty thing but the guy has something coming to him.

 

It now sounds like the Sanford police might have done their job and that the prosecutor dropped the ball. There is a story in The Herald that a Sanford PD detective recommended that Zimmerman be arrested but the local prosecutor said to hold off.

This seems like a more consistent story with police practices. The police will present case to a prosecutor and they will decide if there is sufficient evidence to for arrest.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/27/2718130/sanford-cops-wanted-to-charge.html

 

Maybe he can join a group of nationally hated people that were convicted by the media and public,before a trial, but that were acquitted in a real trial.
Casey Anthony
OJ Simpson
Lizzie Borden

 

To make your point, Zimmerman would actually have to go to trial.

 

So then it would appear that the anger directed at the "racist" Sanford PD might be a bit misplaced?

 

Seems that some people seem to be confusing guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a criminal trial and probable cause to make an arrest.

In practice, probable cause is an incredibly easy standard to meet.

 

It sure seems like that. The police have leeway if they want to take something to the prosecutor, but it's rare that they don't because it takes the pressure off them.

In our area even for simple assault the police will defer to prosecutor as to whether an arrest should be made.

 

Not necessarily.

Depends upon why the state declined to pursue a charge. I.e., the Sanford PD investigation may have been so bad that the state attorney declined a charge knowing that it couldn't be supported based on the local investigation. That's why the state's undertaken its own.

Not saying that's what happened, but there's so much to this story we don't know it's impossible to say.

 

But incompetence (or being "bad" at your job) isn't racism.

 

It can be if it's intentional.

 

According to The Herald story a prosecutor was called night of shooting and declined to visit site. Sanford Detective recommended arrest and prosecutor declined.

No doubt that the Stand Your Ground law muddies the waters on probable cause.

 

Yeah, that just screams racism on the part of the Sanford PD right there.