From Michael Brown to George Floyd: What We’ve Learned About Policing

Nearly six years after Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, the fate of George Floyd, another black man who died while being arrested, has sparked outrage against police brutality across the country. As confrontations between protesters and the police play out on the street, tear gas, mass arrests and curfews follow.At The Marshall Project, we have written many stories about the police, from the challenges of reforming misconduct to the militarization of police departments. The stories we have covered since our founding in 2014 remain all too relevant and provide context for many of the issues the country is still wrestling with today.What happens when a police officer is accused of misconduct or brutality? That depends on where you live. In more than a dozen states, police enjoy their own Bill of Rights, which could mean if an officer is investigated, he or she does not have to answer any questions for up to 10 days, and the department still has to pay salary and benefits. The rules blur when it comes to joint task forces, where federal agencies like the U.S. Marshals recruit local police departments to track down fugitives or fight terrorism. Often, the local officers assigned to joint task forces don’t have to follow their own department’s rules, such as wearing a body camera.