By Rebecca Huval and Shareen Pathak
A public hearing in Harlem Thursday will revisit the controversial May 28 police-on-police shooting in East Harlem, once more spotlighting issues of racial tension in law enforcement.
In a similar hearing in Albany Nov. 16, law enforcement officials, researchers, and community members emphasized the role of racial stereotypes in police-on-police shootings and offered recommendations to prevent future incidents. The hearing, held by a task force organized by Governor David A. Paterson, was the first of three in the state. On Thursday afternoon, the second hearing will take place near the crime scene, where a white police officer mistakenly killed a black plainclothes officer.
Officer Omar J. Edwards was fatally shot by another officer earlier this year. (AP Photo/New York Police Department)
The Albany task force included nine community members, law enforcement officials and experts on law and justice. “We are here to discuss the issues and implications arising from police on police shootings, especially those between those of different races, nationalities, and ethnicities,” said Christopher Stone, the task force chair and a professor of criminal justice at Harvard University.
Lewis Rice, a former Drug Enforcement Association agent, emphasized the role of race in the shooting. “No longer can it be acceptable to consider men and women of color…criminals before being proved otherwise,” he said.
On the night of the shooting, Andrew P. Dunton shot and killed another off-duty officer in plainclothes. Omar J. Edwards, 35, had just finished patrolling East Harlem’s housing projects and then chased a man who had supposedly broken into his car. With his gun drawn, he ran along 125th Street between First and Second avenues when three other officers saw him.
Dunton fired six rounds, and three bullets struck Edwards, one wounding him fatally. The shooting prompted angry protests, with marchers shouting “Justice for Omar,” according to The New York Times.
The upcoming trial will determine whether Dunton ordered Edwards to put down his weapon before he opened fire. Investigators said they think Dunton had called “Stop, police!” just before Edwards turned and Dunton fired the fatal bullet, according to The Times. The sequence of this scene will determine the verdict. Meanwhile, Dunton has been on administrative duty since the shooting. A grand jury in Manhattan decided not to indict Dunton, but a Police Department investigation is still underway.
The Harlem hearing can be expected to address many of the same issues that arose in Albany. Task force members there suggested cultural diversity training to prevent racial profiling, but some questioned whether the city would have the funds to support new programs.
“We must be creative in the recommendations we make so they are relevant in the reality of the current budget crisis,” said task force member Michael J. Farrell, a deputy commissioner with the New York Police Department.
The public hearing will begin at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at the State Office Building on 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.
