(MintPress) — As incidents of police brutality and misconduct rise in cities throughout the nation, so does the price tag for the American people, who ultimately carry the cost associated with investigations, administrative leaves and million dollarsettlements. The burden to the officers themselves is often nothing more than a pink slip and, in the worst-case-scenario, loss of employment.
That’s the story right now in Jonesboro, Ark., where a mother is grieving the loss of her 21-year-old son, who police allege shot himself while he was handcuffed in the back of a squad car.
Teresa Carter told WREG, a local news station, that the shot was fired in her son’s right temple, although he was left-handed. She also claims that at some point, her son had called his girlfriend to inform her he would be calling her from jail.
“I mean, I just want to know what really happened,” she told the news station.
The story of Chavis Carter’s alleged suicide is raising the eyebrows not only of his family and community, but also within the Jonesboro Police Department, where an internal investigation has been launched. The two police officers on the scene have been placed on administrative leave.
At this time, Carter’s mother has not filed a civil lawsuit, but if it comes to that and the police department offers a settlement, the money will not be taken from the officers’ pension funds or paychecks — and will instead be taken from the department’s coffers, which is made up of government-funded taxpayer dollars.
If the case is anything like a recent one in Chicago, the officers could even keep their jobs.
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