Professor Chin Comments for NBC on Controversial Arrest Video
Professor Gabriel "Jack" Chin commented for a news report on NBC.com regarding the controversy over a video of an arrest by a Texas state trooper. The arrestee, Sarah Bland, was later found dead in her jail cell after she reportedly took her own life, prompting questions about the officer's conduct and the reasoning behind her arrest.
Professor Chin said that the officer "was permitted to use reasonable force to get her out of the car" and that everything he does in the video appears to be legal. However, the officer probably could have used better judgment in responding to Bland when she did cooperate with requests to put out a cigarette and exit her vehicle.
"I do think the officer lost his temper and decided to make the arrest not necessarily because of any legitimate law enforcement reason, but because he was irritated," he said.
Gabriel "Jack" Chin, who joined the King Hall faculty in 2011, is a prolific and much-cited criminal and immigration law scholar whose work has addressed many of the most pressing social issues of our time.