Two Cities, Two Controversical Cases on Police Use of Excessive Force

New York City recently settled the Sean Bell case earlier this week, a wrongful death suit settled for $7.15 million, in which the police and department policies came into question. According to the New York Times, this case is one of the most controversial and largest settlements made by the city in recent years. In 2006, undercover police officers shot 50 bullets into a car while Sean Bell and his friends were sitting in it; 21 of those bullets hit the car, killing Bell on what would have been his wedding day, and injuring two of his friends.

Similarly, Austin, Texas, will be settling a wrongful death suit later today (July 29, 2010) for an estimated $750,000, according to AustinFoxNews. The settlement involves a likewise controversial case in which a police officer shot and killed 18-year-old Nathanial Sanders during a police arrest. The police officer was suspended for not turning on his dash cam, but was later fired by the Austin Police Department when he was arrested for a DWI. An independent investigation by KeyPoint Government Solutions, which was leaked to The Chronicle, found the police department was biased in their internal reviews of the case, and also found the officer used unjustifiable deadly force.

Both of these cases involved questionable use of excessive force, questionable police policies, and racial discrimination; they also both ended in the city settling a civil suit with a large monetary payout. As a result, the Austin police department has recently decided to purchase automatic dash cams to automatically record police interactions with the public. This was a piece of evidence that was not provided in the Sanders case because the officer in question did not turn on this dash cam. According to the NYDailyNews, the mother of Sean Bell will be pushing to pass new legislation requiring the New York City police department to conduct drug tests whenever an officer fires off a gun. She is also pursuing an end to police department arrest quotas.

These types of cases bring up uncertainty and trust issues for citizens, communities, and the police. Unlike the rest of us, the police are in potential danger everyday they go to work, but they have training and tools available to them to dissolve potential threatening situations. For this reason, they should be even more responsible in implementing police procedures. And they should keep in mind their job is to be guardians of all citizens, including the two who met untimely deaths in these two cases.

On a positive note, the Austin Police Department and the NAACP are partnering in Austin to work with community leaders, neighborhoods, and school districts in order to build trust, mutual respect, a better community, and safety. Hopefully, the New York City Police Department will realize that they must also move proactively toward working with their community leaders to help rebuild trust and respect in their own city.