Government officials weren't the only ones who misbehaved during the Ferguson protests. Peaceful protestors filled the streets while others participated in acts of violence, vandalism, and the looting of numerous local businesses. Most everyone agrees that those people should be prosecuted, and insofar as they could be identified, the wheels of justice moved rather quickly. "Nine people face charges for looting in Ferguson that followed the fatal shooting of Michael Brown Sunday night into Monday morning, according to St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch," a Gannett station reported on August 18. "The nine face varying felony charges relating to burglary and theft along West Florissant."

Some rank-and-file cops have been held accountable too. "A police officer has resigned after pointing a rifle at protesters during racially charged demonstrations and another has been fired for inappropriate social media posts stemming from the two weeks of civil unrest," Reuters reported in another August story.

Yet Ferguson's police chief isn't just still on the job—he is combative when confronted with the self-evident observation that his department needs "wholesale change." (And evidently, at least some employees at the FAA saw no reason to object or go public when convinced that a police department was shutting down airspace solely to thwart the press from seeing what was happening.) Law enforcement failed all the way up the chain of command in Ferguson. It's time for the people at the top to be held accountable.