Even when police departments spell out exactly when an officer can use deadly force, that policy is not a ready part of the public record, that's open and accessible to all. There's also no public disclosure of how the department's rules on the use of deadly force are made a part of the officer training, and follow-up training, to drill home to officers that there are indeed strict guidelines that must be adhered to when an officer can shoot to kill.

Natasha McKenna called the police to report an assault and then died at their hands. Her last words before she was restrained were, "you promised me you wouldn't kill me." That promise was broken. Natasha McKenna's family, her 7-year-old daughter, and many victims like her, deserve better.

Police violence directly caused or played a role in 1,126 deaths in 2015, the most on record.

Such massive disparities defy a simple explanation, but America's gun culture is clearly an important factor. Unlike European nations, most states make it easy for adults to purchase handguns for self-defense and to keep them handy at nearly all times.

Why did the grand jury take it upon themselves to sort out the witness conclusively? The point of a grand jury is only to determine if probable cause of a crime, a very low legal hurdle, exists. If it does, they return an indictment and the case goes to trial for resolution.