AS IT IS 2015-12-06 Shootings Lead to Questions About Police Tactics

AS IT IS 2015-12-06 Shootings Lead to Questions About Police Tactics

Tension between police in the U.S. and the African-American communities they serve is in the spotlight¹ again.

Although 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was shot dead last October, a video of the event wasn't released until last week. It showed Chicago Police Office Jason Van Dyke² shooting McDonald 16 times.

Van Dyke was charged last week with first-degree murder. But the video sparked citizen protests, and this week, the city’s police chief was fired. The firing came after community leaders questioned why it took so long to release the video and charge Van Dyke with a crime.

Van Dyke’s lawyer says the police officer feared McDonald would hurt him or others. Police say McDonald had a knife and was dangerous.

The video is drawing attention to similar incidents around America, says Jack³ McDevitt, director of Northeastern University’s Institute on Race and Justice.

McDevitt says most police do their jobs well, often in difficult situations. Police see events that are extremely violent. Suspects strike back. The stress of the job is extremely high, he says.

Other jobs that are stressful are firefighters, airline pilots and members of the military, says a career website. They create much more anxiety and fear than other careers.

One former New York police officer has written about his 20 years on the force.

"You really got about one second to make a life-and-death decision," said Steve Osborne in an interview with NPR.

"Your heart is pounding. Your adrenaline is shooting out of your ears. Half the time you're doing it in the dark: It's nighttime or you're in some darkened hallway or abandoned building, and you got one second to get it right.”

But critics say police are reacting too quickly and with too much force. In Baltimore, six officers – three blacks and three whites -- have been charged with the death of Freddie Gray, 25. The first officer went to trial last week in Baltimore.

Doctors say Gray died of a spinal⁵ cord injury. Investigators⁶ say he got that injury while being transported in the back of a police van in April.

Gray’s death caused civil unrest and riots in Baltimore.

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the death of Jamar Clark, 24, on November 15 has also led to protests. Police say Clark was killed by officers in a fight.

Community residents say Clark was handcuffed when he was shot to death.

McDevitt says that killings⁸ like these fuel distrust between police and the public, especially in African-American communities.

Lethal⁹ force

Many police departments have a policy against shooting suspects in handcuffs. In 1985, the United States Supreme¹⁰ Court ruled that police are not permitted to shoot at a person who is fleeing.

However, when someone is a significant threat to the officer or to others, police may use what is called “lethal force.” Some say police should use non-lethal force when possible, such as relying on a stun¹¹ gun or shooting a suspect in the leg or arm.

But Chuck Rosenberg, acting⁴ director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said officers must act decisively. If they believe their lives or other lives are threatened, they must act quickly and with force to end the threat.  

Allison Flowers of the Invisible Institute says it seems Van Dyke, the officer accused of murder in the Chicago shooting, was not trained to solve these conflicts without using lethal force. The Invisible Institute is a Chicago group that has examined allegations of police brutality¹².

Relationship between police and district attorneys

A big problem is the power of local district attorneys, critics say.

District attorneys are lawyers who make decisions for the government. They decide who will be charged with a crime and who will not.

Because the local district attorneys must work closely with police to solve crimes, they may be more on the side of the police, critics say.

That power to decide whether to prosecute¹³ officers should be taken from them, says New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. A state attorney general is the state’s top law enforcement officer. He or she does not usually prosecute crimes.

Under Schneiderman’s proposal, he would take over investigations¹⁵ when police officers were involved in shootings.

Schneiderman made that proposal after a police killing⁷ in Staten Island, New York.

In that case, 43-year-old Eric Garner¹⁶ was stopped on a street corner. Police say he was selling untaxed cigarettes. A video showed one officer placed his arm around Garner’s neck and pulled him to the ground.

Garner had asthma¹⁷ and was overweight. He is heard clearly in the video telling officers over and over, “I can’t breathe.” The officers did not let go.

Garner died.

Police said many suspects complain of injury during arrests to stop it from happening. But community groups said that the minor¹⁸ crime of selling untaxed cigarettes does not warrant such rough treatment by police.

There have been other high profile killings of African-Americans by police officers recently:

Walter Lamer¹⁹ Scott, 50, lived in North Charleston, South Carolina. Scott was shot in the back on April 15 as he ran from an officer who stopped him for a minor car offense²⁰. The officer has been charged with murder.

Tamar Rice, 12, lived in Cleveland, Ohio. Rice was shot by a police officer in a park in November of 2014. Rice reportedly pointed²¹ what looked like a gun at people in a park. A responding officer shot him seconds after arriving on the scene. Rice was carrying a toy gun that looked like a real gun, police say.

Community leaders say Rice was shot too quickly after the officer arrived. The officer did not take time to see if the boy was a real threat, they say. Local prosecutors²² have not charged the officer with a crime, but a federal investigation¹⁴ remains²³ open.

Michael Brown, 18, lived in Missouri. Brown was shot to death by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, in August of 2014. The shooting touched off months of demonstrations²⁴ in Ferguson.

The officer said Brown hit him and grabbed his gun as he sat in his police car. Officials including the US Department of Justice investigated the case. No charges were pressed against the officer.

Words in This Story

tension – n. a feeling of nervousness, fear or conflict

firing – n. Removing a person from his/her job

stressful – adj. making you feel worried or anxious

pounding – n. the act of hitting someone or something with force again and again

adrenaline – n. a substance that is released in the body of a person who is feeling a strong emotion and that causes the heart to beat faster

abandoned – adj. left without needed protection or care

spinal cord -- n. the large group of nerves which runs through the center of the spine²⁵ and carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body

unrest – n. a situation in which many people are angry and hold protests or act violently

handcuffs – n. a set of two metal rings that are joined together and locked around a person's wrists

significant – adj. large enough to be noticed or have an effect

lethal – adj. causing or able to cause death

stun gun -- n. a gun that produces an electric shock, which makes someone unconscious or stops someone from moving

brutality – n. cruel, harsh, and usually violent treatment of another person

asthma – n. a physical condition that makes it difficult for someone to breathe

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 dyke   

n.堤，水坝，排水沟

参考例句：

• If one sheep leap over the dyke,all the rest will follow.一只羊跳过沟，其余的羊也跟着跳。
• One ant-hole may cause the collapse of a thousand-li dyke.千里长堤，溃于蚁穴。

3 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

6 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

9 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

10 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

11 stun   

vt.打昏，使昏迷，使震惊，使惊叹

参考例句：

• When they told me she had gone missing I was totally stunned.他们告诉我她不见了时，我当时完全惊呆了。
• Sam stood his ground and got a blow that stunned him.萨姆站在原地，被一下打昏了。

12 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

13 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

14 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

15 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

16 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。

17 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

18 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

19 lamer   

瘸的( lame的比较级 )； 站不住脚的； 差劲的； 蹩脚的

参考例句：

20 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

21 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

22 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

23 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

24 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

25 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。