For the past couple of years, media has highlighted over 963 people who have been shot and killed by police, most of which were African Americans.

Through these hundreds of killings, only a few have actually been convicted of murder, even though substantial evidence proved the officer was in the wrong. This news comes as no surprise to anyone, because we’ve sadly become accustomed to our corrupt justice system and officers abusing their authority.

However, it still begs the question: how do these officers get off the hook more often than not?

CNN outlined a couple of reasons that may pose an answer to the ever pending issue. Racial Bias.

It shouldn’t shock the world that most targeted individuals of the justice system are African Americans. In the case of Philando Castille, the officer who was dispatched said the individuals in Castille’s vehicle resembled two robbery suspects because of their similar skin complexion, and their “wide-set nose.”

Records prove Castille was pulled over by authorities over 52 times and charged with many petty offenses, including not having proof of insurance. This is not uncommon amongst African Americans; for we are constantly being harassed by law enforcement.

According to CNN, some departments are beginning to recognize this brutal reality by attempting to implement “bias training” – but we have such a long way to go in regards to providing equal treatment under the system.

Officers receive the benefit of the doubt.

Many department based procedures permit their officers to base their perceptions on the sense of danger with probable cause, which also permits them to use deadly force.

Indeed, there are some people who are armed and who are dangerous, but in the cases of Castille, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, etc., to what threat did they actually pose?

The officers who slaughtered these young men honestly had no probable cause besides the fact that oh, I don’t know, they were Black.

In all their indictions, they were given slaps on the wrist as the punishment of taking an innocent person’s life. In order to tackle this issue, departments need to seriously consider re-implementing their procedures on what truly classifies as immediate threats and danger before getting trigger happy.

Police Departments need higher recruitment standards and more training.

Being trained in the line of defense and protecting the community should be taken as a profession, something you invest much time in and grow into.

So, in coherence with Haberfield, who has written several books on police integrity, departments should increase the qualifying age to mid-to late twenties. Society gets it, being an officer is a dangerous job, and their lives are put on the line every single day. But individuals who seek this occupation should not come with a faint of heart, nor an unstable mind.

This job requires an individual to call on their most righteous characteristics: nobility, bravery, integrity, trustworthiness, and honesty in order to perform a job that some people fear, and to provide safety for all – not become the villains.

Needless to say, the justice system needs a lot of tweaking and reconstructing, and it starts with more than just the laws and procedures – it requires a deeper analysis of who exactly are being hired into these positions and whether their hearts are in the right place.

What is their real purpose for desiring that position?