while it is easy to second guess what happened and state "facts" that might not be true, there is a further question that must be raised.  what happens if the officers let the culprit go and he then renders harm to some else?  what then?  some would say, the police should have tried to apprehend the culprit.  decisions must be made in a split second, sometimes right and sometimes wrong.  the new policy appears good but the key now is to train the officers on the new policy.  believe some officers are unaware of the new policy and are operating under old policy.