First of all they need to be vetted and screened independently. I understand having a psychologist that understands their work but if they are loyal to the people theyd shelf dismiss or turn over information to the SBI FBI when necessary.
Internal affairs have extremely difficult jobs because if the press knew what went on in some cases all hell would break loose (and it has). I.A. cant drop bombshells like this without shredding the department's staff and SOP. That's what we NEED to do for the cases like this where there is clear wrongdoing, destruction of evidence, obstruction of justice. You hide or harbor a felon, you are guilty. Perjure or falsify documents, guilty. WE get charged,WE get fined, WE get jailed,they get... desk detail. I.A. has to share a workspace with family who often outrank them, certain precincts or departments aren't equipped to handle such investigations or the G code is in effect and cops lives outweigh any others. Any time what happened here happens, like Freddie Gray's case or Eric Garner's, the precinct or department IS a danger to the community including themselves. If the SBI or FBI comes in that wall of silence turns into a 5'x7' for the guilty parties and those not involved don't face a threat for their criminal coworkers actions.
Departmental predispositions against psychological evaluations that keep cops off the streets need to change. Ray Tensing, Randall Kerrick, Brad Miller, Michael Slager, GI hoe gliniewicz, Darren Wilson, the anonymous gangs in Baltimore and Ferguson didn't make our streets safer, they turned OUR streets and OUR neighborhoods into murder scenes.

Potential solutions: US Military (JAG) lawyers judges, psychologist/psychiatrist who understand the stresses and challenges the DUTY creates, background checks outside the Dept, FBI, CIA independent complimentary screenings. 100% accountability to Federal State and local law at all times. These resources already exist, we already pay for all of them why not put them to good use? What do we stand to lose?

perhaps things will slowly change, in this case the other officers on the scene didnt cover up or support these actions,admitting there was no threat and the actions of this lone assassin werent justified,,

I think it starts there, from within, with cops stepping up along side communities to weed out the bullies and assassins who are using their badge as carte blanche to end the lives of 'suspects' without boundary

Interesting Tidbit!

http://downtrend.com/71superb/laquan-mcdonald-was-a-ward-of-the-state-but-his-family-took-home-a-5-million-settlement

Laquan McDonald Was A Ward Of The State But His Family Took Home A $5 Million Settlement

The City of Chicago is currently besieged by protests over the shooting death of black teen Laquan McDonald by white police officer Jason Van Dyke. Sure, McDonald was high on PCP and went at a cop with a knife, but you know…racism. One of the more interesting tidbits of information to come out in this case is the fact that McDonald was a ward of the state and yet his “family” received a $5 million settlement from the city. If anything, the state should have received that money because they are the ones who raised him.

The AP reports that McDonald was taken from his home at age 3 by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services because the agency said his mother could not provide for him and didn’t properly supervise him. He was placed in foster care until he was 5 and then briefly reunited with his mother. The mother’s live-in boyfriend was physically abusive to McDonald and less than a year later; he was once again taken from the home. From age 6 until he died, McDonald was a ward of the state.

At various times throughout his life, McDonald lived with a great-grandmother who has since passed away and then with an uncle for a short period.

Now here’s where it gets crazy. Following McDonald’s 2014 shooting death, his family, whoever the hell that is, lawyered up. It’s unclear if the family threatened a lawsuit, but they definitely didn’t file one. The City of Chicago, in its infinite wisdom, decided to offer the family 5 million bucks to head off a potential wrongful death lawsuit. Of course the family accepted it. Who wouldn’t take that kind of settlement for a kid they never knew and barely raised?

My question is, who gets that money? The shitty mother that neglected and abused McDonald for 4 of his 17 years on this planet? The uncle he lived with for less than a year? How about McDonald’s father who has never been a part of the kid’s life ever? There is not one person who has a legitimate claim to being a caregiver to McDonald except maybe the foster families he lived with over the years and the taxpayers who paid for his upbringing.

The answer is actually pretty clear. The mother looks like she’s the one taking in the generous city settlement. According to the family lawyer Michael Robbins, McDonald’s mother was making an effort to regain custody of him prior to the shooting.

“The mother was pursuing a petition to reunite the family,” said Robbins.

Really? The mother didn’t make any effort to get her son back for over a decade, but just by coincidence was trying to do so right before he was shot by a Chicago police officer? Laquan McDonald was 17, meaning he was on the cusp of adulthood. How likely does it sound that a woman who never gave a **** about her son for his entire life was suddenly interested in regaining custody of him as he was about to become an adult?

That’s not a bad payday for being a terrible parent. She popped out a baby, ignored him for a couple of years, let her boyfriend beat the crap out of him for a year, let the state raise him, and then walked away with 5 million bucks because he was killed by a police officer. It’s a long-term investment for sure, but the brilliance of the plan is that it required so little effort.

Might sound like a stupid question but I know absolutely nothing about guns.

But I did wonder what kind of guns the police carry, and how many bullets they hold when full, 16 is a lot of bullets.

Did he empty his gun.

Ive read that he did empty his firearm and that it was a Glock 9mm...not sure which model though... but 15+1...15 round magazine plus one round in the chamber is definitely not out of the norm. Hope this helps a little....