The idea that since every man (and his
gun) is needed for the common defense of the group, any one man's behavior, short of
murder, must be tolerated, even including mild insanity and such serious crimes as
rape. (From the Afrikaans voortrekker word 'laager' - a circle of wagons forming a defensive perimeter, as when the days journey was done and the group settled in for the night)
When the cop shot the unarmed perp his buddies closed in with their laager mentality and
made a thorough investigation of the facts impossible, intentionally misplacing
evidence and
confusing investigators.