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"Don't Kill" Bill Assemblywoman No Expert On Policework
By
Jaya Saxena
Published May 26, 2010
Modified May 26, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published May 26, 2010
Modified May 26, 2010
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Assemblywoman Annette Robinson (D-Brooklyn), who introduced a bill that would require cops to shoot to wound rather than shoot to kill, is facing outrage from cops who say it could put police lives in danger. But it turns out that Robinson herself believes she is not qualified to assess the dangers of police shoot outs. She just wants them to stop, and tells the Post, "Not being a police officer, I would not be able to discuss the instance or the time that happens, but I do know that it happens, most often in the communities that I represent, and it happens too often."
Angry lawmakers and cops say that the decision isn't hers to make, and that in a life-or-death situation, criminals won't follow shoot-to-wound rules. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the bill "makes no sense to anyone who knows anything about law enforcement." This incarnation of the bill was sponsored by Robinson and Assemblyman Darryl Towns after the shooting of Sean Bell in 2006, but—fun fact—it was actually first introduced in 2000 by none other than then-Senator David Paterson, in the wake of the shooting of Amadou Diallo.
Though Towns hopes the bill would "open up a dialogue regarding police procedures," experts say that the bill wouldn't make any difference. Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes said, "It's unrealistic to think cops can shoot someone in the leg in the heat of the moment," and police expert Dr. Maki Haberfeld told WABC that no police force in the world has a shoot to wound policy in dire situations. She said, "The Polish police tried to train officers to shoot at body parts and there were casualties and they basically gave up. It's a very dangerous perspective."
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annette robinson
david paterson
don't kill bill
gov paterson
minimum force
nypd
shoot to kill
shoot to wound
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