It is sad, even shocking that so few people today are able to recognize the distinction between cause and effect. Nowhere is this serious deficiency more evident than in the continuing controversy concerning the interaction between police officers and citizens. This point is made  clear when the media show only the final portions of such situations, often minimizing or completely ignoring the actions which led up to them. Rarely are the causes explained, only the effect.

All of us are required by law to comply with the lawful requests of a police officer. It appears that certain segments of our society, particularly young people, feel that orders to comply violate their rights. Individuals do not exercise some spurious entitlement when they choose to refuse to identify themselves, or assault others, or flee when signaled to stop and pull over.

Police officers are entitled, even duty-bound, to use whatever force is necessary to force compliance with their directives. They are limited only to the minimum level of force necessary under the circumstances to effect arrest, never employing anything excessive except in situations involving the potential for death or serious bodily injury of the officer or public.

From my perception, it appears that all of the recent incidents involving excessive force began when the victim refused to comply with the police officer. Had they done so, force of any kind would not have been necessary. Excessive force would not have even been a consideration. And yet, the focus is on the effect, the actions of the police, and little upon the cause, the actions of the so-called victim.

Nobody can say that these individuals deserved to die at the hands of police, but if they had simply complied in the first place, the end result would certainly have not been so tragic. 

John Nason is a former New Hampshire State Trooper and Fitch High School teacher. He lives in the Uncasville section of Montville.