Frontline: A Death in St. Augustine. Reaction Paper

A Death in St. Augustine
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A Death in St. Augustine
Watching “Frontline: A Death in St. Augustine” has made me realize that even law enforcers are not immune to domestic violence and that their victims are even more disadvantaged than ordinary victims of domestic violence. This is evident through the various women, one of them being a police officer herself, who were highlighted in the video as victims of domestic violence, suffering in the hands of people who are meant to serve and protect. I believe that criminal investigations involving police officers as the main suspects are surrounded by a lot of uncertainty and complexities, which makes it important to involve an independent party who is not biased.
The narrator is successful in making me feel like there was bias in the investigation of the death of Michelle O’Connell, mostly because the officers who arrived at the scene had already made up their mind about the mode of death. One officer actually admits that she did not think the death was nothing other than suicide (PBS, 2013). This clearly indicates that the police officers acted differently because the person involved was one of them, and instinctively, they did not treat him as a suspect. I like the fact that the narrator has severally demonstrated how the officer was not treated as a suspect, from being interviewed in the police car in the presence of his sergeant to being allowed access to confidential files of other interviews regarding the case (PBS, 2013). In addition, the 911 respondent advises him that his friends are coming, unlike in other cases where the 911 respondent informs the caller that police officers are on their way. Additionally, the officer in question is said to have had a temper, something that was disregarded in the investigation. The biasness, in this case, is evident from the moment the police officer made the 911 call, to the moment where the whole department was summoned to show support to the officer in question.
I was very moved by the images which seemed to indicate that Michelle loved and lived life, and having her life end like that brings out some very negative emotions in me. I, therefore, agree with the views of those around her, that she did not have a reason to commit suicide. I do not understand why the officers did not question her motive for committing suicide, seeing that she had just been promoted at her workplace and had decided to call off her relationship with the boyfriend. It is actually frustrating that the officer interviewing the boyfriend did not insist on knowing what had happened the one time she had mentioned killing herself, as purported by the boyfriend (PBS, 2013). It is like the investigating officers were only interested in what the officer in question had to say, and took his word as the only truth. In essence, Michelle’s side of the story also mattered, despite the fact that she was not there to tell it. However, a proper investigation could have told her story. For instance, the images reveal that the gun was on her left side (PBS, 2013). This can be an indication that she is left-handed, which is not the case. In my opinion, such...