When considering the case in question, it is possible to identify several alleged crimes. First, it is necessary to note that any reported crime is regarded as alleged until the necessary evidence is collected, a suspect is identified, other procedures are carried out, and the guilt of the suspect is proven in the court (Roberts, 2015). In simple terms, all crimes are alleged until the moment when the decision is made in the court, and the person found guilty or not guilty.
The woman reported a violent crime. She stated that an individual had beaten her and taken her money a few moments prior to her conversation with the police officer. The victim added that the suspect had had a weapon. The crime that involves property crime, physical violence against the person, and the use of weapons are referred to as the strong-armed robbery. This type of crime is the first one to come to one’s mind when analyzing the victim’s report. Nevertheless, other versions should also be considered. The investigation results show that the primary version is not always what actually happened.
Another alleged crime associated with the woman can be aggravated assault. This type of crime involves the use of violence or a threat of using violence against a person (Kelly, 2015). Importantly, the woman could turn out to be a victim or the offender. There are chances that the woman attacked someone and had certain injuries in the fight. She could try to create an alibi for herself so she could make up the whole story.
These versions should also be taken into account when investigating the case. The crimes mentioned above are regarded as serious offenses and can often lead to imprisonment and long-term incarceration. Clearly, previous criminal activity (if any) is taken into account. In many cases, probation and parole can also be the legal actions taken against the offenders.
Several alleged crimes are related to the person injured by Officer Jones. This individual could be involved in illegal activity associated with drugs. For example, an alleged crime associated with the man who had drugs in his pocket is drug possession. This crime falls in several sub-groups as it can be related to personal use or distribution (Kelly, 2015). The latter type of crime will lead to quite strict penalties. In the case under analysis, possession of drugs with intent to distribute is likely to be the alleged crime.
The fact that the man had cocaine in his pocket, and the substance was placed in several small baggies can be regarded as the evidence in support of the version mentioned above. The individual accused of this type of crime can be fined or imprisoned. The factors that would affect the court’s decision include the amount of substance found in the person’s pockets, his apartment, car, and so on, prior history, and the like.
Another alleged crime can be more serious, although it is connected with the one mentioned above. Drug trafficking and drug dealing are serious crimes that are often associated with imprisonment (Kelly, 2015). The evidence proving that an individual is involved in this type of crime include a significant amount of the illicit substance on the individual or found in his belongings, considerable sums of money, crime history, witnesses’ reports, and so on.
As far as the civil action against the police officer is concerned, the most obvious issue is related to the use of excessive power. On the one hand, Officer Jones was in a high-crime neighborhood where he was to remain cautious. On the other hand, the suspect was only wearing clothes similar to the garments mentioned by the woman. The police officer had almost no other reason to stop the suspect. Moreover, the suspect did not have a gun. There was no threat to the life of the officer or anyone else, so there was no need to shoot. Nonetheless, the area was a high-crime neighborhood, and the suspect refused to comply with the officer’s demands to stop.
The suspect also turned out to be carrying illicit drugs. These factors are likely to become central to the case. Luckily, the suspect was only injured and not shot dead. The suspect can try to take civil action against the officer for the use of excessive power. However, there are high chances that the court will not find the police officer guilty as it was in the case of the United States of America v. Eric loan Parker (Campbell, 2016).
The police officer was found not guilty as he did not violate any procedures or policing practices, although the suspect was injured severely and turned out to be unrelated to any criminal activity. The challenges of contemporary American society make people more concerned about safety rather than liberties. Hence, Officer Jones’ actions will be viewed as justified, and no serious punishment will occur. Although the prior performance of the police officer will also be considered, and if various violations are revealed, he can be fired.
References
Campbell, A. (2016). Judge throws out an excessive force case against the officer who injured an Indian man. Huffington Post. Web.
Kelly, W. R. (2015). Criminal justice at the crossroads: transforming crime and punishment. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
Roberts, J. V. (2015). Criminal justice: A very short introduction. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.