police officer accused of harming an individual unless the police officer can show that they were aware of the record prior to the incident.

If the p.o. didn't know the person had shoplifted in the past there is now way it could have been a consideration in his actions.

If someone has a record, that gives more weight to the cop's version of what happened. That's why I think body cams should already be routine across the country. You carry a gun or a badge, you wear a camera, no exceptions.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]The truth doesn’t always set you free.
Sometimes it builds a bigger cage around the one you’re already in.[/center][/font][hr]

They need to justify it so they can feel better than somebody.

It's not "stupidity," it's hate. It's that these people see a dead black person and their first response is "GOOD!" - but it's impolite to say so, so they try to concoct some halfassed reason to claim it's good.

You win. Perfectly said.

But if they kill somebody, you'll know within minutes that that guy got busted for shoplifting in 1987.

and we'll see every questionable tweet they've made.

And if they can't find anything negative, they'll fabricate something: http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/08/19/mike-brown-being-misidentified-on-social-media/14273807/

It's one of those social engineered loopholes that allows the police to try a person twice for his or her crimes.

wrong this time, he or she certainly will in the future based on having a criminal record. I'm still trying to figure out how not having eye contact with a cop is probable cause to stop the person (let alone have that person end up arrested and dead). What a totally fucked up country.

thrown into the mix. We live in a society that protects power and violence, and blames victims.

Imagine if we paid police by how fast they could get someone booked into the station. No time to beat the suspect, gotta book 'em and make that dough!

If a cop claims that he shot someone because that person pointed a weapon at him, if it turns out that the person he shot has a history of armed violent crime then the cop's version of events becomes more believable than if the person has no criminal record.

And yes people are that vapid.