Why it’s so rare for police to be prosecuted for killing civilians, explained in 2 minutes

On May 1st, State's Attorney for Baltimore City Marilyn Mosby announced that six Baltimore police officers would face criminal charges in the death of Freddie Graywhile in police custody on April 19th. The charges against the officers include second-degree murder, manslaughter, misconduct in office, and false imprisonment.

The announcement is striking partly because it's incredibly rare for police to be prosecuted for civilian deaths. In 2014, New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo was not charged in the death of resident Eric Garner, even though there was cellphone footage of Pantaleo putting Garner in a chokehold; in Ferguson, meanwhile, Darren Wilson was not charged in the death of Michael Brown. In this 2014 video, Vox's Amanda Taub explains why it's so rare for prosecutors to go after police.