NYC Seeks to Discipline 7 Cops in Bell Police Shooting Case
Officials have filed administrative discipline charges against seven New York City police officers, including several who were not indicted in a separate criminal case, over the death of Sean Bell.
Three detectives were acquitted last month in a controversial criminal case over the death of the unarmed Bell in a hail of police bullets as he was leaving his bachelor party at a Queens nightclub. The three detectives are among those the police department is seeking to discipline, along with the lieutenant in charge of the prostitution sting they were running and two other officers who fired at Bell, reports the New York Post. The lieutenant and the other two officers who fired at Bell were not charged in the criminal case.
It isn’t clear exactly what disciplinary charges the officers are facing, although, in the first report by police that the department’s rules were violated, at least one of the previously uncharged officers is accused of having fired his weapon outside of department guidelines, according to the newspaper.
As discussed in earlier ABAJournal.com posts, the case is controversial and has resulted in public demonstrations. That is due to the perception of many that Bell, as an unarmed black man, was treated differently than a white man would have been under the same circumstances.
While the disciplinary charges are step in the right direction, a more aggressive response is needed, the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was arrested in a May 7 protest, told local ABC News affiliate Channel 7.
“We at National Action Network call upon Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to follow the lead of Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey who fired four police yesterday, demoted one sergeant, and disciplined others, without going through a long internal procedure,” said Sharpton, referring to a incident earlier this month in which Philadelphia police were videotaped by a news helicopter camera attacking unresisting suspects.
“There must be no tolerance for crime, but also no tolerance for police misconduct, and the New York Police Department must send a strong firm signal that that is the case, as we have seen in Philadelphia.”
Critics have called for a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, and New York Police Commissioner Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said the department will wait for the DOJ to complete an investigation before it proceeds with any internal action, the Post reports.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Sean Bell Protesters Block NY Bridge Traffic; Sharpton and 200 Others Arrested”
ABAJournal.com: “Columnist Asks, How Can I Trust the Justice System?”
ABAJournal.com: “After Sean Bell Verdict, Critics Call for N.Y. Special Prosecutor in Police Cases”
