I thought that Mike Taibbi leaned a little towards the cops side regarding the shooting of Sean Bell. I thought that news reporters/correspondents were to remain neutral when delivering a story. Mike you should do a story on how cops are to "trigger-happy" in this day and time. People used to look up to cops and respect them which was at least 80% of the populace... now, about that many people absolutely hate cops because they have become judge and jury right out on the street... they use profanity like a common criminal... they beat up and use excessive force on certain people for no legitimate reason, they shoot men, women and children and ask questions later!! I was under the impression that this was a country where we had freedom of speech but not according to the American police departments... you cannot say anything at all to them because they take it personal which brings on an unjust arrest simply because you spoke to them in a certain tone...oh yeah! if you are blond and blue-eyed in your twenties girl, your chances of leaving the scene is about 99%. No I am not prejudice but most officer see through prejudice eyes and are often intimidated very easily. Just look at the coward cop who beat the defenseless Bar-Maid... I think that most cops are cowards and cannot distingush between being a cop and a killer. The badge seems to give them a license to kill and most of them take advantage of it...I am just frightened of the idea of being stopped by a police officer because I may make a wrong move and get shot...

As a police officer, I'm glad to see an unbiased report on police shootings. Mike Taibbi took a walk in the shoes of a police officer and experienced first hand the split second decisions made by a police officer on a regular basis and the stress which accompanies that process. Right or wrong, a police officer has to live with their decison for the rest of their life. Most officers only want to return home to their families the same way they went to work, uninjured and healthy in mind and spirit. Again, thank you Mike Taibbi for showing the police side of the story. Now that you've walked in our shoes, I'm sure you'll view the police in a new light.

Here in San Antonio we have had a number of similar shootings by law enforcement officers. IN one notorious case DEA officers killed a 14 year old girl who paniced when black clad officers jumped in front of a car she was moving. I have also read of other similar case where the excuse that the cops felt their lives were in danger from a suspect in a car. It is a very common excuse and it is getting old. They should try getting out of the way or not jumping right in front of a car.

Atlanta too! Kathryn Johnston, a 92 y.o grandmother was shot and killed by plain clothes policemen who fraudulently obtained a warrant to search her house, 2 days before this past Thanksgiving. After killing Ms. Johnston, the officers engaged in a cover up and attempted to get a third party to lie to back up their previous lies. When this brave person refused and went to the press, their stories fell apart and now face murder charges. Dateline should come follow this story – it reflects a culture of disrespect for citizens and a disregard for basic rights and liberties by members of the Atlanta Police Department.

Does America know what this will do to law enforcement? Why am I going to put myself (police officer) in harms way if I can't even protect myself? Police work is becoming a big joke. Next time just call homicide and wait for the "poor victims" shoot some people in a club.

First off I would like to say that this is a horrible, horrible tragedy. This is the worst thing you could think of, a groom being killed on the most special of days. Now, that being said the police officers are out there to protect us, and even more eachother. I don't agree with the way it may have went down but it was a terrible accident, I dont believe that the police officers should be arrested, etc. I'm 25 years old, and let me tell you times are not like they were before. This world is coming to an end, and were causing it.. Were shooting one another, murder, rape, gang violence, people con-ning people who are elderly, mentally handicapped, etc. The unsanitary conditions of our produce markets, terrorism....Just to name a few. I'm still waiting on the world to change.. I think it is outrageous that anyone should ever feel scared of being alive, of going to the grochery store, of even opening their doors to the world. It took the horrible events of sept 11th to bring the world together, and only a few years to tear it all apart..again. When will we learn?

When I saw Dateline was doing a story on Sean Bell I thought it would be more detailed. But I was disappointed to find it was being used to justify police actions. You didn't even mention that these officers have been charged with criminal offenses and will be going to trial. The press should be following more stories like this instead of air head stories like Anna Nichol.

It is a shame than the world is so one sided, people that are in control has the power and we have to deal with it, it's not whats right is right and whats wrong is wrong anymore and people with the power has no conscious anymore, it's nothing to them, it's a shame they can really sleep at night.

The Sickest Issue In American History...

America does not care when non-whites are struck down unjustly or caught up in a cruel and unfair "justice" system. America never has cared and probably never will, because it doesn't have to.

We have not matured enough as a country to care for all citizens equally or to guarantee fair and equal treatment under the law. From 1776 to 2008, America's attitude toward non-whites has neither waivered nor changed.

Until white Americans begin to die unjustly at the hands of law enforcement or suffer disproportionately under the law...nothing can or will change. With rare exception, government officials in pivotal positions could care less about non-whites.

It's a simple fact, non-whites in America do not receive equal treatment under the law and do not have equal economic opportunities or access.

America will never overcome its stacked-deck society because it is not a general part of human nature to willingly surrender advantages, nor to provide any possible way for the disadvantaged to attempt to level the playing field.

Just as British society struggled for hundreds of years to break free of the rigid class-system of royalty and monarchs, we will continue to suffer for centuries in futile attempts to reverse the poisonous effects of ignorance and racial-thinking here in the United States.

The only true solution is an abrupt and massive enlightenment. We must turn away from ignorance and toward logic. Ultimately, if we do not learn to think and reason, history will keep repeating itself ad infinitum. And since the likelihood of such an intellectual revolution is about a trillion to one against...the safe bet for our future is centuries of bloody and bitter struggle ending in the stench of suffocating war clouds, whole-scale death and limitless misery.

Yes police officiers are out there to protect the public but some use their badge as an excuse to break the law themselves.  They are rude, judgmental from the gate and don't like to be spoken back at.  I myself had 2 encounters with police officers and detectives and in both cases the police officer broke the laws that they was suppose to use to protect the public.  I had no rights just because what they believe.  One instance I called them because of domestic violence and ended up arrested myself because the guy went into the house and pulled out an hachett and cake knife and said I was trying to stabb him with it.  The next instant I was visiting my friend and some detectives knocked on the door and ask me if I knew the guy in the photo, I said yes told them who he was and they said they wanted to enter the premises and told them no it wasn't my apartment or place to give them assess to.  They charged me with obstructing justice and entered anyway, breaking my 4th amendment right.

I have family that work for PD and cops have a hard job but this was not justisfied. Reloading on a unarm person is not justified.If you don't fit a certain profile young blone female. As a black male it took some twenty one years for me to feel safe around police never been a criminal this trigger social mistrust.Treatment as a whole have been bad.

I felt the report was completely biased.  How could you possibly compare your 20 seconds of training to the months of training and the years on the force these officers have been through? and I don't understand the justification to empty your gun into an unarmed victim and reloading.  Was it his ghost at that point whom the officer feared?  
I fear for my son's life more from trigger happy police officers than I do the thugs in the street.  I fear him being pulled over for a minor traffic violation or just DWB (driving while black) in one of our high end cars and either being physicaly assaulted by a burned out cop, or killed by a trigger happy officer.  The threat of thugs with guns is real, but the scarrier thought is a licensed thug with a badge an a gun.    

This is such a sad story,another young life taken. Surely there are good policemen who take a minute to evaluate the situation and think twice before firing but there are many who use their authority wrongly, their attitudes change as soon as they first put on a uniform, suddenly they are tough and so powerful. Why did they just assume Sean Bell was a "thug" leaving the strip club? How many policemen live in them? Why didn't the cops fire towards their feet if they had to shoot at all?  

With all the police-bashing in the media, Mr. Taibbi sheds some light on the demanding nature of police work. American citizens are increasingly resistant to the authority of the police and it has created a shameful, chaotic mess in some areas of our country. In some places there is very little respect for those in law enforcement, and as a result, unruly, uncivilized, dangerous, citizens put themselves and others around them in harms way, and these type of mistaken shooting situations occur. An innocent person, when told to stop by the police, should STOP. They should not be attempting to run the officers over with their car in an attempt to flee! People need to start acting like decent, responsible human beings again. The police are underpaid and unappreciated for the abuse they have to put up with just to maintain order in our society. For any cops who read this, THANK YOU for doing what few people want to do, that is dealing with some of the worst conduct from some of the seediest members of our society. I appreciate the job you do and I hope you stay safe!

Reading the "Sean Bell" articles - It is certainly unfortunate for all parties involved, both the Late Sean Bells family and the Police.
However it certainly raises questions as to how a 12 year vetran officer, with sufficient back-up from fellow officer unload 31 shots? I can get some sense of the immense pressure officers are under when making split-second decisions, but shooting off the as many shots, mind you reloading his weapon again before discharge, is very auspicious.
I do hope some form of 'closure' can come about, not so much punishment - but the truth, esspecially for the parents, Seans fiance & daughters!

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