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"They can say whatever they want, but nothing is different from how the police act," said 38-year-old Robert Butler. "They always go around here like they are at their head."
The trial was also closely followed by another group: the Chicago police. The officers of the police union were with the wife of Agent Van Dyke, Tiffany, and some, related to the police department, questioned the opportunity to prosecute a police officer for having shot at an armed person. Agent Van Dyke, who was put on leave after being charged, works as a janitor in the police union.
"A majority of police officers know they could be Jason and they are watching her closely," said Brian Warner, a former Chicago police officer who met with agent Van Dyke in a support group for officers involved in shooting. "It's probably already slowed down by others doing their job. Maybe they are not as proactive as they were. "
Across the country, even in the rare cases where an officer is charged with shooting death, convictions may be elusive. Police have wide discretion to use lethal force, and juries and judges often give them the benefit of the doubt. Last year, officers were acquitted in deadly shootings in Milwaukee, St. Louis, in the suburbs of St. Paul and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
There are exceptions: a police officer from the Dallas suburbs was sentenced to prison this summer for murder; a volunteer sheriff's deputy from Oklahoma was found guilty of manslaughter two years ago; and a New York City policeman was found guilty of manslaughter during a shootout in 2014.
Here, Mr. Acree said that some people were watching and eagerly awaiting the decision of the jury, which, some residents have noted with concern, only included one black member. Mr. Acree said that other people were totally diverted from the case, convinced that no police trial could ever result in a conviction.
"They are just numb and say," This is Chicago, "said Mr. Acree," It's the story of two cities, that's what it is. "
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