November 12, 2004

An insurance company death benefit that pays twice the face value of the policy upon the accidental demise of the insured is termed “double indemnity.” You can be sure that when such a death benefit is paid, especially when the payout is substantial, the underwriting company will assign an investigator to protect the company from the possibility of a fraudulent claim. Imagine the investigative curiosity generated by a substantial claim of “triple indemnity,” assuming there is such coverage available.

In spite of the scarcity of such outstanding protection regarding its possibility in the private sector, cases of triple indemnity in the public sector are significantly on the rise. Yet very few of these cases generate any curiosity at all, let alone any real investigation. And that’s just fine with the perpetrators and errant individuals who cause the many incidents of so-called “accidental death.” The deliberate act and guilt of the perpetrator is easily proven, yet those identified as to their recklessness, irresponsibility, or even criminal behavior, are seemingly always immune as to accountability. They benefit enormously from triple indemnity protection.

These perpetrators will always claim such deaths as accidents, or as an innocent mistake, or attempt [almost always successfully] to lay the blame for their deliberate acts elsewhere. Of course, we are speaking of the staggering wrongful deaths caused by the police all across our nation. Increasingly, these “accidents” excusing police recklessness and overreaction while just “doing their jobs,” are showing more evidence of a general hostility towards all citizens.

The citizens they maim and kill by “mistake,” are the very ones who pay their uniformed killers and maimers salaries, benefits and pensions. Then they pay again with their lives and bodies for the “mistakes” made by the police. And finally, when the families of those killed or maimed sue the jurisdiction whose police unleashed such unjust and unprovoked violence, it’s the citizens once again who must indemnify the victims for the repulsive brutality.

Also profiting from the increasing mistakes and third-level indemnification payouts caused by police brutality and wrongful deaths are the trial lawyers who are cashing in on this unauthorized and non-budgeted new spending by government. Ultimately, this results in yet a fourth level of indemnification: increased taxes. Since this is a statistic that shows another unfavorable aspect of growing government animosity at all levels towards its citizens, you can be sure its metrics are another highly-guarded secret and embarrassing statistic of government failure.

The instances of deadly police brutality and official government cover-ups and distraction by bureaucrats was once again on display in the brutal murder of 21-year-old college student, Victoria Snelgrove, outside Fenway Park on the night of October 21st. Witnesses reported some displays of rowdiness, but not the near riot conditions cited by Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O’Toole and Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Both politicians vowed to get to the bottom of this and track down the “hooligans” that caused the Boston Police Department to lose control of the situation. It may be recalled that Snelgrove wasn’t participating in any of the rowdiness and was just an innocent bystander.

In articles subsequent to the senseless police killing, I pointed out that the primary function of the police in controlling an unruly crowd was intimidation; police must be assertive and demonstrate a no-nonsense command of the situation. And part of this assertiveness can quickly incorporate the use of terror. This was precisely the cause of Snelgrove’s death.

I had deduced that Boston Police deliberately used the so-called “non-lethal” gas-operated pepper spray pellet long guns improperly, such that very serious injury and even the possibly of a death should have been anticipated. But their assumed need to terrorize unarmed citizens, as well as the knowledge that police and their overseeing government officials are rarely prosecuted for a wrongful death in such a scenario, precipitated the reckless abandon by pointing these non-lethal weapons and peoples’ heads at virtual point blank range. They ignored the manufacturer’s suggested range and chest-and-below target area to instill terror.

Selecting just one jurisdiction where police brutality and killings are of unusually high occurrence, New York City, the following settlements have been paid: Spruill killing, involving Johnnie Cochran’s law firm, $1.6 million; Dorismond killing, $2.250 million; Diallo killing, $3 million; and the Abner Louima beating and sodomy case, which also involved Johnnie Cochran’s law firm, $8.750 million.

These cases only scratch the surface and represent only those cases highlighted by settlements and trials. Most police killings involve neither and the shooter is rarely identified.

© THEODORE E. LANG 7/12/04 All rights reserved

Ted Lang is a political analyst and a freelance writer. Visit his new website soon

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