Are the police warranted in self-defense or are the police using excessive force and how does this ratio of shootings in Albuquerque compare to other cities in similar size and population? The fallout shows the sides of two groups of people who believe they are in the right. The activists against police involved shootings believe that the officers of Albuquerque react to situations with deadly force too often and necessitate changes. The supporters of the police force believe that the shootings are higher in Albuquerque because suspects in the area give police more reason to use deadly force, however, APD agreed to ratify its amended policies to satisfy the public. Albuquerque has the highest ratio of population to police involved shootings in six cities of similar size and population for the past year and a half.
In this heated debate between the law and the people of Albuquerque, both sides show a considerable amount of evidence in support of their own viewpoint. So which side is right? In my opinion neither side is right per say. I take aspects of both sides that make sense in my head that can be interpreted as supporting as well as discrediting both sides of this argument. In no way am I taking a neutral stand, just a complicated one.
The families of the “victims” and the deceased compile a compelling story which incurs the “out of hand” behavior and the “excessive force” tendencies of the Albuquerque police department, as described by Heinz (C2). Many of these claims in my opinion are rash and are out of pure emotional anger because of the immediate loss of a loved one; however, one case that caught my attention can bring the matter into dispute. In May of 2011, a 22 year old man was shot because he was believe...
... middle of paper ...
...ll ratio of officer involved shootings. Until the ongoing investigation conducted by the Department of Justice is completed I don’t really see a likelihood of anything being drastically changed.
Works Cited
“Deadly Force Protest.” Albuquerque Journal (NM) 18 Sept. 2011 : B5. Print.
Galvan, Astrid. “Changes In Store For APD - Think Tank Issues Report On Officer-Involved Shootings.” Albuquerque Journal (NM) 25 June 2011 : A1. Print.
Heinz, Hailey. “Civil Rights Complaint Filed Against Two Officers.” Albuquerque Journal (NM) 21 June 2011 : C2. Print.
Mckay, Dan, and Jeff Proctor. “APD Shootings: No Easy Answers - Data Show Assaults on Officers, Incidents Don’t Always Track.” Albuquerque Journal (NM) 19 Apr. 2011 : A1. Print.
Tomlin, Alex. “How do APD shootings compare to others? | albuquerque, nm | krqe news 13 new mexico.” krqe.com. News. Web. 26 Sept. 2011.
Into the Kill Zone: A Cop’s Eye View of Deadly Force, by David Klinger, explores the effects that shooting a deadly weapon will have on law enforcement officers. The author interviews over eighty men and women from a number of police agencies spread across four states. He conducts these interviews to note the pre and post mental conceptions police officers have after shooting a gun in the line of duty. Klinger shares his interviewees’ stories in the novel to show readers how pulling the trigger of a gun can cause a variety of issues both within and outside of a police officer’s life.
Toby, Jackson. “Racial Profiling Doesn’t Prove Cops are Racist.” Wall Street Journal (March 1999). N. pag. Online. AT&T Worldnet. Internet. 30 Nov 2000. Available: www.frontpagemag.com/archives/racerelations/toby3-11-99.htm
"The Supreme Court and Racial Profiling." National Motorists Association, n. d. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. .
Villa, Judi. "Incidents Put Police Brutality in Spotlight." Rocky Mountain News. N.p., 2 Feb. 2009. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
"Feds to investigate racial profiling claims." New Haven Register [New Haven, CT] 3 Dec. 2009. General OneFile. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. .
By teaching police officers alternatives to shooting to kill, they experience higher risks with their lives. Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly, said, “It would be "very difficult" to train officers to shoot to wound” (Jacobo, 2016). Police officers are viewed as “predators” and “an occupying army” rather than allies (Valey, 2016). This is a perception that needs to change because it counteracts the mission of police officers
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
The authors also explain that there are no real statistics to help explain how many times an officer has used a firearm. The text explains that there is no significant data to help explain police shootings and how many occur each year (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Most of the data that can be found does not clearly state the numbers of times a firearm was used. Majority of data is found through data bases such as Vital Statistics (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Even data bases such as Vital Statistics do not provide clear information on police
"Quick Facts: US Police Brutality." PressTV - Quick Facts: US Police Brutality. Press TV, 17 Dec. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
Police shootings occur all over the world but are a huge problem within the United States. We continue to hear more and more about them. These shootings are making headlines. Front page news it seems almost weekly. All the shootings go one of two ways.
Policing, Race, and Criminal Injustice." Human Rights. Spring 2009: 6. SIRS Issues Researcher. Pritchard, Justin.
Over the years, this country has witnessed many cases of police brutality. It has become a controversial topic among communities that have seen police brutality take place in front of their homes. Officers are faced with many threatening situations everyday forcing them to make split second decisions and to expect the worst and hope for the best. Police officers are given the power to take any citizens rights away and even their lives. With that kind of power comes responsibility, that’s one major concern with the amount of discretion officers have is when to use force or when to use lethal force. The use of excessive force may or not be a large predicament but should be viewed by both the police and the community.
Walker, S., & Katz, C. (2012). Police in America: An Introduction (8th Edition ed.). New York:
The author focuses on the U.S. Task Force on 21st Century Policing and Police Data Initiative or PDI to determine if it helps to restore trust and the broken relationship between and communities and police officers. The Task Force made by Barack Obama recommended the analysis of department policies, incidents of misconduct, recent stops and arrests, and demographics of the officers. The PDI has tasked 21 cities to comprehend the police behavior and find out what to do to change it. Also PDI was said to have data and information on vehicle stops and shootings by police officers. The use of statistics has a purpose to help rebuild trust and the relationship between and communities and police officers.
Police brutality is an act that often goes unnoticed by the vast majority of white Americans. This is the intentional use of “excessive force by an authority figure, which oftentimes ends with bruises, broken bones, bloodshed, and sometimes even death” (Harmon). While law-abiding citizens worry about protecting themselves from criminals, it has now been revealed that they must also keep an eye on those who are supposed to protect and serve.