Police Brutality: When is Deadly Force Justified? On February 4th, 1999 at 12:44 AM an unarmed black man, Amadou Diallo, found himself in a storm of bullets coming from four white New York City police officers. In total, forty-one shots were fired and twenty-one of those found their mark, as the twenty-two year old stood on the balcony of his apartment building. The four police officers never wore uniforms and drove through neighborhoods in unmarked cars looking for occurring crimes or people carrying guns. On this particular night, February 4th, the police were specifically looking for a rape suspect. According to the officers Diallo looked suspicious, but according to his neighbors and those who knew him, Diallo could be described as “a
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Does this deserve forty-one bullets? In Diallo’s case the jury found the police officers not guilty, stating that “They made a tragic mistake ... they’re human beings who make human mistakes. They’re not criminals” (qtd. in Fireside 26). How many times will police officers be allowed to ‘make mistakes’ before something is done about it? The National Government should oversee major cases making sure judges are not biased in the final ruling, imply and enforce a law mandating mental background checks and tests on police to make sure they are stable as well as prohibiting police officers from using deadly force unless the criminal has shown signs of a deadly threat to themselves or others, in order to reduce the number of innocent victims dying by police …show more content…
If a student shows any sign of instability then more test should be run and the student should stay under observation before a clear decision can be made pertaining to his position as an officer. In order for a citizen to become and obtain the position of a police officer they first have to meet the basic prerequisites that include at least a high school diploma, a clean record, a confirmed Unites States citizenship and in some cases twenty-one years of age or older. In addition to a high school diploma, an undergraduate education is appreciated and can be helpful in advancing in an officer’s position. After being cleared of the prerequisite requirements, the attendance of a police academy is mandatory. In police academies include physical and cognitive instruction that range from civil rights to criminal psych and from traffic command to firearm use and self-defense. Candidates need to pass applicable exams on strength, agility, vision, hearing, written exams and in some academies background examinations are given to the candidate to assess the characteristics to see if he is suitable for the job. (Requirements to
Does this deserve forty-one bullets? In Diallo’s case the jury found the police officers not guilty, stating that “They made a tragic mistake ... they’re human beings who make human mistakes. They’re not criminals” (qtd. in Fireside 26). How many times will police officers be allowed to ‘make mistakes’ before something is done about it? The National Government should oversee major cases making sure judges are not biased in the final ruling, imply and enforce a law mandating mental background checks and tests on police to make sure they are stable as well as prohibiting police officers from using deadly force unless the criminal has shown signs of a deadly threat to themselves or others, in order to reduce the number of innocent victims dying by police …show more content…
If a student shows any sign of instability then more test should be run and the student should stay under observation before a clear decision can be made pertaining to his position as an officer. In order for a citizen to become and obtain the position of a police officer they first have to meet the basic prerequisites that include at least a high school diploma, a clean record, a confirmed Unites States citizenship and in some cases twenty-one years of age or older. In addition to a high school diploma, an undergraduate education is appreciated and can be helpful in advancing in an officer’s position. After being cleared of the prerequisite requirements, the attendance of a police academy is mandatory. In police academies include physical and cognitive instruction that range from civil rights to criminal psych and from traffic command to firearm use and self-defense. Candidates need to pass applicable exams on strength, agility, vision, hearing, written exams and in some academies background examinations are given to the candidate to assess the characteristics to see if he is suitable for the job. (Requirements to