How about the smuggler? Was his sentence too harsh or too light? I just don't agree with you about Compean. These guys were on the job. They were in a risky business where things can get really dangerous, where people carry guns and people do get shot and killed. He got excited and started popping off rounds and then he tried to hide his screw up. Yes, he should lose his job, maybe even get some time, but ten years with no parole? No way. People get a lot less for far worse conduct. It was too much time for both of these guys.
As you well know, Compean and Ramos made sure that he would get no sentence of any kind, harsh or light.
I just don't agree with you about Compean. These guys were on the job. They were in a risky business where things can get really dangerous, where people carry guns and people do get shot and killed. He got excited and started popping off rounds and then he tried to hide his screw up.
Compean got mad because he was a disgusting, out-of-shape fatbody who got completely clowned by a wiry little dirtbag.
So, because he had zero impulse control, he emptied his weapon on an unarmed man and then stopped to reload and shot at him again. That's right - he stopped to reload - he went beyond his initial lack of impulse and coldly fired again. As a further testament to Compean's skill and preparedness, every one of his shots missed the target.
Then, knowing full well that what he did was illegal, he immediately began tampering with the scene. Then he ordered a less experienced agent to help him tamper with the scene. Then he lied to a second agent and claimed that he had fired in self-defense, implicating both of his originally innocent colleagues even more deeply in his actions. Then he lied to his superiors. Then he lied to investigators.
Men with dangerous jobs - soldiers, firefighters, policemen - often react impulsively and even overreact: adrenaline is a hell of a drug.
And that's to be expected.
What is not be expected is that they will betray their own colleagues and destroy their own brothers-in-arms in order to save their own skins.
ten years with no parole? No way. People get a lot less for far worse conduct.
Law enforcement professionals need to be held to a higher standard - they have a lot of power entrusted in them by society. Flagrant abuse of that power should be strictly punished.