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I don't mean to get into a big debate over this, so I will just leave at this: I understand your point. And to a large degree, I agree with you. But given that we don't know why they didn't release more information, and given that there are number of good reasons information is not released early, I think it is premature to label it is as wrong. The reason that this argument that the police are at fault bothers me so much, is that it completely absolves the behavior of those that deserve the lion's share of the blame: the media, and others.

But there is another reason that the police may have withheld the information. Anything they say is more likely to inflame the situation further, as opposed to make the situation better (I know that some people disagree, and think that it would help, but I think they are wrong -- the police would have been viewed as lying to protect their own -- a drip-drip-drip of poorly substantiated leaks would have fueled the paranoia and rage, not lessened it). So maybe they made the decision that they needed to be silent, until they could approach the public with such an airtight case that any voice that said that it was manufactured would appear irrational. If that is the case, then I believe that they, just like Officer Wilson, did the only thing they could do, in a very difficult situation.

Just to amplify the above point. Suppose they had said that Officer Wilson had a broken bone in his face, they would have immediately been inundated with demands for more information, or demands to justify how it was germane, that they would have been in a situation where they would have been placing themselves in a weak position, given that the rest of the investigation was still ongoing. Don't forget, the media will lead the charge in pouncing on anything they say, in order to make it appear that the police are reaching, lying, besmirching the Gentle Giant, racist, incompetent, or anything else the media wants to convey. And if that was successful, and the police were to appear indecisive, weak, racist, whatever -- tensions go up, not down. In that situation, the best strategy is to hold your cards close to your vest, and when you display them, have an unbeatable hand.

The reason that this argument that the police are at fault bothers me so much, is that it completely absolves the behavior of those that deserve the lion's share of the blame: the media, and others.

Spot on. The media's behavior in all this (and I have been watching the live feeds, etc., when I can), not to mention various politicians and certain "black leaders", makes virtually anything the local authorities say, or don't say, "inflammatory".