Consequences

“In the United States, police officers fatally shoot about three people per day on average.” Identities, by W.D. Valgerdson talks about a man who is wrongfully killed by an inexperienced police officer. The short story portrays how assumptions and stereotypes can lead to extreme consequences. When the officer approached the man there were several ways he could have managed the situation. The judgements made by the police officer prevented him from reacting professionally. Therefore, the officer was not justified when he killed the man. “… he does not notice the police car drift against the curb, nor the officer who advances with a pistol in his hand.” If the police officer was well trained, he would have been assertive and demanding, properly gaining the man’s attention. The officer inappropriately stereotyped the man as a potential thief because of his “unshaven” appearance. Instead of investigating his suspicions further the officer irresponsibility shot the man. Even if the man was a thief and had been caught, his punishment would have been insignificant compared to his life being taken away. When the man reached “…his hand toward his wallet for his identity,” the officer made the presumption that the man was going to raise a gun. If he was observing calmly, he certainly would have noticed the man visibly relax when he saw the police uniform. Furthermore, the officer could have asked the man to raise his arms above his head or used an alternative method of controlling the man, for example using a baton. For this reason, the amateur officer should have called for backup to guide him as soon as he felt uncomfortable handling the situation. Based on the unsafe neighbourhood, the police officer made yet another assumption that the man was not the owner of the Mercedes, implying that he had stolen it. The man had shown no signs to the officer that would have suggested he was the thief; he did not try to flee and was not scared. Since the police offer had no reason to kill the man besides his own faulty assumptions and stereotypes, he was not justified.