| Last week's fatal shooting of a Columbus, Ohio teenager by a police officer set off another fierce debate about the competence and racial motivations of law enforcement.
As you will recall, Columbus police were called out to a violent knife attack. Body camera footage later revealed one of the teen girls attempting to stab the other just prior to the gunfire.
To be sure, the police officer, who was white, was faced with a horrific dilemma that required an almost instantaneous decision. Had he not fired his weapon when he did, it appears almost certain one woman would have been stabbed, perhaps, fatally.
Police work often requires swift and decisive action. While hindsight might be 20/20, the heat of the moment rarely provides that same luxury. It takes a special person to be entrusted with policing responsibility. As citizens, we should be grateful to the men and women who voluntarily wear the badge in order to ensure our safety.
What we're witnessing in America today is not widespread police brutality precipitated by systemic racism. Instead, we're reaping the whirlwind of decades of bad policies, poor personal decisions and a culture that has lost its way.
I welcome your thoughts. | 
