Many people within law enforcement do not agree with the use of the death penalty as a form of punishment for any crime. I know the many arguments from people who support the death penalty, so to answer any and all questions about each of those arguments, I'm posting this link to the Death Penalty Information Center website ... http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/. The site is full of good information and statistics. On this page, I'll give you some of the main reasons for opposing the death penalty.
      The main reason for opposing the death penalty is because people make mistakes and that includes police officers, detectives, lawyers, judges, and juries. Anyone can gather every bit of evidence, have it processed, conduct witness interviews and suspect interrogations, and come to the conclusion that the number one suspect can be the only person who could've committed the crime. Everything points to that suspect and the D.A. (District Attorney) agrees, so he assigns the case to a prosecutor. Because of the case work, the prosecutor also thinks the person is guilty and presents all of the evidence to the judge and jury. The jury deliberates, weighs the evidence, and comes to the same conclusion ... the person is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The suspect is now sentenced. Justice has been served. Or has it?
      A lot of law enforcement officers aren't afraid to admit they've arrested and the jury convicted people who have been innocent. They may have been guilty of a lesser crime, but innocent of the more serious charges. We only thank God many of them weren't sentenced to death and that sentence carried out. There may be one or many people they've arrested who're now sitting in prison who may later be cleared of all charges. The law enforcement officials will continue to do their job the way they always have and let the evidence lead them to their conclusions, hopefully the right conclusions.
      A lot of people say they support the death penalty as a good crime deterrent, to cut down on the prison population, to save tax-payer dollars, and because they feel it's the only way "true justice" can be served. Most people will tell you they know a few innocent people may die, but that's "just the chance we take to clean up this country". Well, it's not a chance some people want to take. If even one innocent person dies from any form of the death penalty, that's one too many.
      So how do law enforcement officers mesh their opposition with their job? What if they're involved with a case which ends up being a capital offense? While in some states they work do have the death penalty, for example in Pennsylvania, there have been only three executions carried out since 1976. Right now, the police who are against the death penalty have to be satisfied that chances are low anyone convicted of a capital offense will ever face execution. While they continue to perform their job, they can work with groups opposed to the death penalty and vote for government officials who share their views and may one day do away with the death penalty.