The Case Of Police Brutality And The Amadou Diallo Case

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When law enforcement officers use excessive force when making an arrest or dealing with the public, this is known as police brutality. As one of the biggest police departments in America, the New York Police Department often finds itself in the midst of police brutality cases. Officers are allowed to use some force to restrain a suspect, make an arrest, prevent an escape, or defend themselves. However, there is a fine line that cannot be crossed when it comes to using force. Landing on the other side of that police brutality line can potentially put an officer in trouble, and may even cost him his job.

One case involving police brutality and the NYPD is the Amadou Diallo case. In February of 1999, 22 year old Amadou Diallo was standing in front of his home unarmed when four plain-clothed police officers came up to him and shot at him 41 times, hitting him 19 times. He died instantly. Diallo had no prior criminal record (Cooper). This raises the question: was the use of deadly force warranted in this situation? According to the cops and other witnesses, Diallo was …show more content…

In 2006 at his bachelor party, just hours before his wedding, Sean Bell was gunned down outside of a strip club in Jamaica. Officers saw Bell arguing with someone outside and believed he was going to get a gun from his car. They shot and killed Bell and injured his two friends (Palmerl and Prendergast). The officers claimed they heard Bell tell his friend to get his gun. When they drove away, they hit one of the cops with their car. The cops opened fire and shot fifty times (Schoetz). I had to really think about this situation and whether or not I agreed with the police. After much thought, I do agree with the police officers’ decision to shoot because as soon as they think they heard the word “gun” they start to fear for their own lives and have to defend themselves. The cops were later acquitted of their charges

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