SAN ANTONIO – The trial of three former San Antonio police officers accused in the shooting death of Melissa Perez is drawing attention to just how rare it is for officers to face murder charges — and even rarer for them to be convicted.
A law professor explained that, nationwide, roughly 1,000 people are killed by police each year, but fewer than 2% of those cases result in criminal charges. Fewer than 1% lead to convictions for murder or manslaughter.
“The prosecution has to prove that it was objectively unreasonable, that no other reasonable officer would have acted the same way,” said Sigrid Vendrell-Polanco, a St. Mary’s Law assistant professor. “That’s an extraordinarily high standard to meet.”
Jurors also play a role, Vendrell-Polanco said, often identifying with officers or accepting “law and order” narratives. Mistakes made by officers are sometimes seen as tragic but understandable split-second decisions.
Even after high-profile cases such as George Floyd’s murder, juries continue to rarely convict officers in deadly force cases, Vendrell-Polanco said.
“The question is: ‘Do we allow police to carry out their duties even if they make mistakes? Or do we hold them to a much higher standard that could lead to more convictions?’” she said. “Right now, that’s a balance our system still struggles with.”
As the Melissa Perez case moves through court, it’s a rare test of that balance, both for the justice system and the community watching.
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