How Many More?

While debating the guilt of Kim Potter, I made the comment that what it would take to solve the problem is one or two police officers getting sent to jail for the appropriate amount of time, which is life. The rest, I said, would stop killing people.
My gun loving, generally cop supporting nephew said I was being optimistic. Perhaps.
Ridiculously disproportionate sentences for possession of marijuana do not discourage people from smoking marijuana, at least not very much. A couple of million deaths is not enough to convince everybody to wear masks. The ‘it can’t happen to me’ belief is strong, and it applies to police officers as well as other human beings.
Nonetheless, if every time a police officer murdered someone they had to go to trial for it, and some of those trials resulted in convictions and long sentences, it would make the news. Some officers might think twice before popping somebody in the head. At least, look around for a second or two to make sure there are no cameras around, all of the other officers have their body cams turned off, and a quick glance up at the sky to make sure there are no drones, and that instant of hesitation might be enough for their murderous rage to pass.
If 15 or 20 of those trials resulted in guilty verdicts or long sentences, some of them might entirely get over their life long dream of killing a black person (Racist officers do not grow on trees. They come from racist families, in racist communities. There are most definitely conversations where all the adults talk and laugh about how much they’d like to kill black people. I’ve heard them.)
If it takes a couple of hundred officers going to jail (which unfortunately would mean hundreds more victims), then it’s still best we start now. It is very important that Derek Chauvin, the officers who stood and watched Derek Chauvin, Kim Potter, and whichever one of that rabid band of Chicago’s “finest” (quotes indicate sarcasm) pulled the trigger that shot the bullet that killed Adam Toledo, should all stand trial and should all go to jail.
Partly because they are guilty as fuck. Partly though, also, as a warning to others. An example needs to be made of them.