iling an issue in this incident? I don’t believe that if one of the four officers were African-American it would have mattered in any way. If one of the officers had acted in such a careless manner as these four did then the rest would more than likely have followed with the same reaction, and shot Mr. Diallo. While the fact that all four officers involved were white seems to me irrelevant, it seems to me like there indeed was some sort of racial profiling done. The description of the wanted felon loosely fit that of Mr. Diallo’s. What was the description? A tall, thin, African-American with a short haircut? That description fits many people. If the police’s job is to serve and protect than police officers should be better trained to recognize criminals and they should be better trained to deal with situations of this sort so that incidents like this don’t occur again. Even if one of those officers had been black, I think racial profiling would have occurred because while Police Chief Howard Safir denies the NYPD’s use of racial profiling, it seems evident in this case and in many cases around the country that racial profiling is used heavily. The NYPD and other police departments around the country should be better instructed to deal with these kind of situations. The police officers should make sure that the subject they have caught sight of is the right one. If the subject is in a dark area and can’t be identified, then every effort should be made to make that suspect come out and show him/herself. Another problem in the Diallo case is that the officers were probably not very psychologically trained to deal with what occurred. Police work is very arduous work and it takes a lot out of a person. Psychological testing should be made available to all officers to ensure their mental well being so that when they have to make a decision very suddenly, that they can make the right one. The NYPD is certain...
