gonjah wrote:

It's crystal clear that the cops did NOT have probable cause to
believe Zimmerman acted unlawfully. All they had, at the scene, was
Zimmerman's word against nobody's!

The forensic evidence and semi-witness accounts may elevate the cop's
thinking to the probable cause level, but at the time, on the
street, they just couldn't do it.



Good analysis.

Thanks. I arrested a dump-truck load of people during my eight years in
solid waste disposal. Most of the time the situation was obvious, but I
remember a few situations in which I called for a supervisor and he, in
turn, called the on-duty Assistant DA.

Point is, you sure don't want to arrest someone unless the facts are beyond
question. It's far better to let them go; you can (usually) scoop 'em up
later if necessary.