Experts: Ferguson police can do better
SEATTLE – The grand jury that declined to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson was focused on whether he might have acted in self-defense when he shot and killed unarmed, 18-year-old Michael Brown.
But the case raises another question: Could Wilson have avoided getting into a spot where he had to make that split-second, life-or-death decision?
Departments around the country have in recent years stepped up their training in “de-escalation” – the art of defusing a tense situation with a word or a gesture instead of being confrontational or reaching for a weapon.
Proponents, including the U.S. Department of Justice, say the approach can improve trust and understanding between police and residents, curtail the unnecessary use of force and improve the safety of officers and civilians alike.
“We haven’t taught officers to just walk away,” said Cambridge, Massachusetts, Police Commissioner Robert Haas. “But if the only reason a person is acting up is because you’re standing there ... isn’t that a viable approach?”
Researchers working on breath test for pot
SEATTLE – Researchers at Washington State University are working on a breath test to determine if a driver is under the influence of marijuana.
The News Tribune reports that law enforcement officers have a test for alcohol, but they don’t have a tool to test for marijuana impairment. Right now, officers must use blood tests to determine if THC is present in a driver’s blood.
But WSU chemistry professor Herbert Hill says existing technologies like those used by airport security agents to detect drugs and explosives can be altered to test breath for THC. Hill says his team hopes to start testing on humans early next year.
The Washington State Patrol says it welcomes anything that gets impaired drivers off the road.
Doctor who died of Ebola remembered
LANDOVER HILLS, Md. – Dr. Martin Salia didn’t get into the medical profession to get rich, and even though he was a permanent U.S. resident, he chose to work in his native Sierra Leone because the need for surgeons there was so great.
Although his medical colleagues were worried when he returned there to treat Ebola patients, they said the decision was consistent with his character.
The 44-year-old surgeon was remembered Saturday at his funeral Mass as a tireless, selfless and heroic advocate for medical care for the less fortunate. Salia died of Ebola on Nov. 17 after being flown to a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, in the advanced stages of the deadly virus. He became the second person to die in the United States after contracting Ebola in West Africa, where it has killed more than 5,000 people.
Ron Klain, the White House Ebola response coordinator, read a personal note of condolence from President Barack Obama to Salia’s family.
“The greatest heroes are people who choose to face danger, who voluntarily put themselves at risk to help others,” Klain said. “Martin Salia was such a man.”
Associated Press
