Friday Links

I suppose I would buy this if I actually thought it would be affective in combating the type of poor judgement (on both parties - the officer that was fired upon and the officer who shot him) and institutionalized racism that lead to the death of Officer Edwards and the others that preceded him.

More minority officers in top posts does not necessarily equal fewer race related mistakes on the part of NYPD. People of common racial backgrounds are just as capable of practicing and perpetuating racism against members of their own race! And we have all witnessed it. Is Kelly that naive or does he think the general public is just that gullible?

There must be a major overhaul in how officers are trained: black, white, asian, hispanic . . . engaging in some major sensitivity training along with a shift in how the NYPD approaches and views the citizens of this city or this will happen yet again.

Posted by: malcats at June 26, 2009 10:09 AM

Yes, dittoburg it is a step in the right direction. There is no denying that. However it must be followed up by and supported by other components in order for any plan produce positive results. I just hate this type of headliner impling that this would be a major component in solving the problem that caused the death of Officer Edwards.

To answer your other question, given the current culture of NYPD, I do not think that this move will necessarily create more likelihood that NYC will end up with a population of high ranking officers who serve and engage in decision making without keeping their biases in check.

In the case of the officer killed in Harlem. I believe that he first saw himself as a NYPD officer who had been a victim of a crime and his authority as an officer took offense to that first and foremost - that NYPD culture I mentioned. That state of mind obscured what should have common sense for him as a "minority officer" - a black man, running down the streets of NY with a firearm with no clearly visible sign of being law-enforcement - not a good idea and was a fatal mistake.

Posted by: malcats at June 26, 2009 11:21 AM

Hi All:
Yes Bxgrl and I agree with your comment:

"a white man running down the street with a firearm and no id as an officer isn't a good idea either. I could be wrong but my belief is that the officers who shot would have done the same if Officer Edwards were white"

But it also brings me to say this:

Had those approaching cops had been black, it is my sad, but strong belief that it would have produced the same results, because, while it was not the only factor in Edwards shooting, the issue of racial bias factored into this situation.

But I also believe that if Edwards had been white, he probably would have been fired upon too. However, I would be willing to bet, given the logistics & e circumstances the white officer might have given it a second thought. That split second of hesitation might have saved a life. It was a wicked combination that ended Edwards life. If any one of those things had been different he might still be alive.

People of all races have biases, how we develop them and how they factor into our decision making is very complicated. But knowing this, addressing this, and engaging in the work that keeps it from spinning out of control is what is necessary and important. I do not know that there is a place for that kind of "program" within police work. I would hate to think or even admit this. So, the commissioner had better have a lot more up his sleeve than just promoting more officers of color.

Posted by: malcats at June 27, 2009 8:39 AM