In their article, “‘Just shoot me,’ an armed man told a cop. The officer didn’t and was fired, his lawsuit claimed.” Amy B. Wang and Kristine Phillips question the choices the Weirton Police Department in West Virginia made on the career of Stephen Mader, who recently lost his job after he hesitates to shoot. On May 6, 2016, Stephen Mader received a domestic dispute call, and “once on the scene, he encountered a “visibly distraught” man named Ronald J. Williams.” (Amy B. Wang and Kristine Phillips). Mader tries to convince the man to lower his gun, but Williams refuses; therefore, when Williams raised his gun, another officer killed him. A month later, Mader is fired for not following the police department's procedures. He considers this case …show more content…
Based on the title, the reader may assume that the victim is African American since it has a recurrence in society today. What they will not assume is that the officer stalled when it came to shooting Williams. This article was written to empathize with Stephen Mader. In his statement, Ryan Kuzma says, “if he felt so strongly that Mr.Williams was attempting suicide by cop, he could have tackled him… He could have stood in between. He could have moved… [If] I was faced with a situation where a guy has a gun, and he is waving it back and forth pointing it at me, that I had to react” Mader had many options when it comes to the safety of Williams. He chose to talk instead of handling the situation head-on, instead of ensuring that the gun was out of Williams possession loaded or unloaded he froze “there no reaction out of Mr. Mader.” If he knew that the gun was unloaded why is it that he did not approach Williams before backup came? Some parts of the article are effective, for instance, Mader’s attorney states that “no police officer should ever lose their job—or have their name dragged through the mud—for choosing to talk to, rather than shoot, a fellow citizen… no police officer should ever feel forced to take a life unnecessarily to save his career” (Amy B. Wang and Kristine Phillips). This turns the reader against the …show more content…
Wang and Kristine Philips use at the end of the article when they show the outcome of the case. At the end, the authors include that the family believes that what Mader did is right followed by a quote from Jack Dolance saying, “he took his time and looked at R.J. as a person and not a dangerous subject” (Wang and Phillips). This incident proves that some police officers are different than others. When it comes to following the rules and regulations of the department, it is a matter of following of losing their jobs. The outcome of the case proves that the police officers are not to blame. It is the department’s fault for teaching the officers poor conduct. Mader is one officer against many so in the ending, “he no longer works as a police officer but as a truck driver, and he continues living in Weirton with his family” (Wang and Phillips). They chose to stay working for the department even though they know the rules are cruel. This story is brought to the public’s attention, but no one will believe that it is not the police officers
Facts: On October 3, 1974, Memphis Police Officers Hymon and Wright were dispatched to answer a “prowler inside call.” When the police arrived at the scene, a neighbor gestured to the house where she had heard glass breaking and that someone was breaking into the house. While one of the officer radioed that they were on the scene, the other officer went to the rear of the house hearing a door slam and saw someone run across the backyard. The suspect, Edward Garner stopped at a 6-feet-high fence at the edge of the yard and proceeded to climb the fence as the police officer called out “police, halt.” The police officer figured that if Garner made it over the fence he would get away and also “figured” that Garner was unarmed. Officer Hymon then shot him, hitting him in the back of the head. In using deadly force to prevent the escape of Garner, Hymon used the argument that actions were made under the authority of the Tennessee statute and pursuant to Police Department policy. Although the department’s policy was slightly more restrictive than the statute it still allowed the use of deadly force in cases of burglary. Garner’s fathers’ argument was made that his son was shot unconstitutionally because he was captured and shot possessing ten dollars that he had stolen and being unarmed showing no threat of danger to the officer. The incident was then reviewed by the Memphis Police Firearm’s Revie...
Happening in today’s society, there have been countless number of citizens being killed by law enforcement. Some situations may not cause for force and others may. This case can be a reference in regards to making sure that the force you use is appropriate for the situation. As for the justice system, it is all about being fair and listening to both sides and issuing out the right punishment if there is any. Many people in today’s time needs to get educated when it comes to the reason behind why law enforcement uses force to handle the situations they have to deal with. But in the end it all comes down to right and
On October 22, 2013, Andy Lopez, a young teenager at the age of thirteen years old, was shot and killed by a Sonoma County deputy named Erik Gelhaus. The community has taken sides either criticizing the officers actions, or supporting them. Whether the arguments are based on race or police abuse of power, we can clearly see step by step why officer Gelhaus did what he did from the first time he spotted Lopez, when he fired the shots, and by what actions he took after the fatal shootings. When looking at the circumstance as a whole, one can understand that Gelhaus's actions were justified and was done only to protect the community.
Domestic Violence is a world-wide problem but in America it is amplified with the ready availability of guns as in this article regarding Dr. Albert Lambert of Florida. Dr. Albert Lambert purchased a gun October 6, 2013 and a gun cleaning kit for a 22 caliber ten (10) days prior to the murder of Kimberly Lindsey (WPBF.com). This brutal act of domestic violence leaves three children without a mother and subsequently a father. This incident has flooded the radio, newspapers, television and internet since the ordeal started in West Palm Beach, Florida on October 27, 2013 and ended on November 4, 2013 in Miami as Sheriff’s deputies discovered Lambert’s sister and boyfriend removing Lambert’s corpse from her sisters Miami home upon their arrival to arrest and charge Dr. Lambert for the death of his ex-wife Kimberly Lindsey.
On October 20, 2014 a young male teen was fatally shot in Chicago, Illinois. The shooting occurred in the middle of the road and the suspect that was fatally shot was named Laquan McDonald. McDonald was just 17 years old and was the suspect after initial reports placed him in the scene of a possible car jacking. It was reported that Laquan McDonald had a knife and was also seen slashing tires of a police cruiser. When police had finally had him surrounded in the middle of the road, one officer opened fire and released 16 shots into his body. Another deputy on hand said the use of force was not needed because Laquan was not in any way trying to attack the officers present. The officer who fired the 16 shots into Laquan is named Jason D. Van
Throughout history there has been considerable tension between race and crimes committed. The court trial of Bernhard Goetz initiated debate on race and crime in the major cities, and the limitations of self-defense. Bernhard Goetz in 1984 shot five bullets in a New York City subway, seriously wounding four young black men. After turning himself into the police nine days later, the public now knew who was the shooter. Bernhard Goetz was entitled the “Subway Vigilante”. The subway shooting incident ideally exemplified the exasperation with the high crime rates of the 1980s. Due to the time period that this incident occurred, Bernhard Goetz was commended and reviled in the media surrounding the case, and the public’s standpoint. The subway shooting, and the court trial following the shooting, lead to the uprise of the fight against crime in major cities. Justice is difficult to define, and in controversial acquittal of Bernhard Goetz, justice in this sense, was not served.
The novel begins with the author’s own experiences as a law enforcement officer and his ideals on the use of deadly force. He explains that “at some deep subconscious level humans are both drawn to and repulsed by violence of any sort” (Klinger, 2004, page 8) and goes on to elaborate why the killing of a human being by an officer is acceptable in the eyes of society today. Even though this truth may seem harsh to some, the overall effects that occur when an officer fires his gun is even harsher when the light of reality is shed upon these gruesome incidences. As the novel continues, Klinger begins to share more information about the career that these few men and women choose to go into. The author describes how many of his interviewees were asked when applying to law enforcement agencies how they would feel about having to shoot someone. Most answered they would not feel any sort of hesitation, yet some men and women in their interviews with the author revealed that they never thought about themselves in that situation and were somewhat taken back by the question. Moreover, Klinger explains that shootings are uncommon incidences in the police...
- on June 23, Williams was driving when a heavy car came up from behind him and tried to force his car off the embankment and over a cliff with a 75 ft. drop off. The bumpers of the two cars were stuck and the cars had to pass right by a highway patrol station, which was a 35 mile and hour zone, but the car was pushing his at 70 miles per hour. Williams started blowing his horn hoping to attract the attention of the patrolmen, but when they saw they just lifted their hands and laughed. He was finally able to rock loose from the other car’s bumper and make a sharp turn into a ditch. He went to the police about it, but they would not do anything because he was black. The police in Monroe never did anything to help blacks
Some could argue that his claims seem to be over the top of maybe even misinterpretations, thus he addresses this counter argument by explaining that he isn't the only black male who has been misjudged. “Such episodes are not uncommon. Black men trade tales like this all the time”(Staples 143). The fact that he adds the stories of other black men, such as the story of the young reporter being dragged violently out of his car at gunpoint; mistaken as a criminal(Staples 143), demonstrates that his arguments are not solely based on himself. The fear and uneasiness that an African American can experience who has not done anything around a police officer, a person who is suppose to help them in emergencies and who should provide a sense of tranquility, is alarming. There have been too many unarmed black men and women who have been misinterpreted, striped from thier rights and even their lives. The fact that people cannot trust law enforcement shows the negative effects that racial profiling has on society and it shows how nothing has changed since 1986, for a country like America, who is suppose to be the dream land this is disappointing. Staples is identifying the problem with societal views, he has not written a sob story with exaggerated experiences, he is shedding light onto a problem that is usually swept under the
Police officers shoot unarmed African Americans out of fear from an untrue generalization that all African Americans are dangerous. After multiple shooting of unarmed black men by police officers, one case had been publicized in the media repeatedly. As opposed to the other shooting of unarmed black men, in the case of Akai Gurley the officer did not even see Gurley. He blindly shot Gurley, while having his gun drawn in an open stairwell. This case brought to light the fear and prejudice that even non racist and fair police officers have for African Americans. The magazine The Atlantic described the tragedy while placing emphasis on how unnecessary, Gurley’s death was. In 2014, an unarmed black man, Akai Gurley, was killed in the stairwell
Cau Thi Bich Tran’s killing has left many in the Asian American community not only outraged but also cynical about law enforcement. The incredibly short amount of time the policemen took before killing Ms. Tran leads us to believe that the police were careless and did not take the time to investigate the situation, but rather jumped to conclusions, resulting in the death of an innocent person. Chad Marshall saw the six-inch peeler Ms. Tran was holding as a threat and instantly killed her to protect himself. Instead of retreating, using voice commands, tasers, baton or pepper spray, Officer Marshall chose to escalate the situation by applying deadly force. After the killing, the court did not indict Officer Marshall. The question arises as to why he did not exercise other options rather than shooting her dead on the spot, and why we can let such a person casually wander the streets to protect others. This case shows that the San Jose police lack language skills and cultural sensitivity, and they are allowed to kill with impunity, taking no responsibility for their own actions.
The duty of a police officer is to protect the people with the laws and enforce them, not hurt the people. For all the African American women and men that have been killed by a police officer should be brought to justice. However, this is not the solution to the problem of police brutality in America. The solution to police brutality is the proper training and certification of police officers, so they understand how to handle various situations without using lethal weapons. For instance, Moore states that “extensive training for several weeks in patrol and observation, narcotics activities and community relations” (Moore, 2010) will lead to the solution of police brutality. Also, in order to dissolve the police brutality in America, America must recognize race as more than just one complexion and accept that people of color shouldn’t be dehumanized, but equal to their
The negative views of everyday people often make work hard for officers, adding more stress to their careers. The general public regularly criticizes officers for using excessive force and brutality, especially when a police officer ends up killing a suspect or criminal. Oftentimes, especially when a white police officer shoots a citizen of a minority race, the general public is quick to find faults in the officer, blaming the officer for being racist. However, cold, hard statistics show that the majority of police officers are, in fact, white, and the neighborhoods in which these officers are placed in tend to be high-crime areas with many minority citizens living there (Miller “When Cops Kill”). In addition, people might say that a citizen who was shot was not armed; however, almost anything close to the shot individual could have been turned into a deadly weapon that he or she could have used to wound or kill the officer involved. Whenever officers are in this position, the natural reaction is to defend themselves. Everyday, police officers confront the most aggressive, immoral, and sick-minded individuals of society. Officers jeopardize their own lives every time they report for work. Officers witness things that no person should ever have to encounter. They see the most horrific and gruesome scenes that the general public turns away from and
Officers are trained and taught different polices that require them not to be biased towards any gender or race. Such officers include Sunil Dutta, if you don’t want to get shot, tasted pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground, just do what I tell you.” (Dutta) uses policies to their advantage. Lack of African-American officers, mainly in communities with citizens of color, can lead to an inquiry that there is a bias in law enforcement agencies and their policies. With recent events in the news displaying the misconduct of officers in an African-American communities like, in July of 2014, where the death of Eric Garner because of “chokehold” by a police officer hit home for many African-Americans and made them question the legislative decisions on policies causing a distrust and lack of confidence within the police departments, shying away citizens from
During the scene with the police lineup, Detective Clay tells a worried and nervous Denise Moore, that she shouldn 't concern herself with testifying because Jesse Williams is most likely going to take a plea deal, and not go to trial. This caused me to realize that an officers has little to no responsibility with ensuring the innocence or guilt of an individual. Their job is to solely remove men and women, that they feel pose a threat to the rest of society, off of the street. In another scene, Detective Riley and the prosecutor for the case are seen revisiting the crime scene, the Detective emphasizes the need for the case not to go to trial, but rather for Jesse to cop a