It has been more than a month since a New Hampshire State Police trooper – whom authorities have declined to identify publicly – was caught on videotape pummeling a suspect following a wild, high-speed car chase that started in Massachusetts and ended on a quiet street in Nashua.

The suspect – who had several outstanding warrants for his arrest – exited the vehicle on May 11 in the face of an overwhelming police presence. He was on his knees and appeared to put his hands on the ground.

It looked like he was giving himself up when the trooper is seen on the video drilling the man in the head with his fist. Then, when multiple officers moved in and grabbed the man, the trooper on the video can be seen circling around to a different vantage point, where he threw a flurry of additional punches.

The officer in question was suspended by state police the next day – without pay – pending an investigation. A Massachusetts State Police trooper was also suspended – with pay – while his role in the case is examined.

Reaction to the video was widespread and strong. "Disturbing," seemed to be the word used most often by officials in government. Those on the outside used even more powerful language. Footage of the scene was viewed by hundreds of thousands of people.

It seems fair to ask: If the person who threw the punches had been a bystander who popped out of the crowd and threw punches at the man, would he still be uncharged more than a month later?

We suspect he would have been issued – at least – a summons to appear in court.

But while police are subject to the same laws as the rest of us, they also have a standing in the legal system that the general public does not. They are, for instance, authorized to use levels of force that would land most people in handcuffs.

As a result, any investigation of a police officer’s actions must be carried out with a degree of care and diligence beyond that which would ordinarily be brought to bear in a case involving a civilian.

We take it as a good sign that the attorney general’s office is taking their time with the case. There is much to consider beyond the video evidence, but we also hope the investigation does not linger.

If the investigation finds that the officer acted outside his legal authority, he should be treated the same way as anyone else and charged accordingly.

We’d like to think it is a foregone conclusion that the law enforcement community would do the right thing if the facts support charges being brought, but we also understand that there are those who have their doubts about the ability of those in law enforcement to police their own.

This is a case the public is watching closely, and rightly so, because the outcome will speak to the question of whether there are two justice systems in New Hampshire: one for civilians who break the law, and another for police who appear to do the same.

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