Human beings, being what we are, require a set of laws or controls. Failure to follow these laws necessitates a response from a chosen group to enforce these laws. They should be trained professionals, like physicians; lawyers or others. Without ongoing training and multiple checks and balances, this group can become 'a necessary evil.' It's known that 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'. That's the reason a citizen's review board at every police station is needed. Their decisions should be enforced by the mayor. If not the mayor, then the governor should be included in the reviews. All reviews should be documented for future civil court litigation by parties involved also to protect law enforcement.
Education should be mandatory for all law enforcement from the lowest to the highest. This education should include basic anatomy and physiology lessons. Failure to receive education should cause immediate suspension from the job without pay. That means that the officer's city of employment must provide multiple ways for the employee to receive education. Their failure to provide education should be penalized by them having to pay a daily fine to the state until education is provided. If the city complains they cannot pay the fine, take it from the pay of the city's governing board.
From my post on 7/6/14 titled I don't understand, both civilians which died due to police mismanagement in their arrest might not have died if the police had education on different body types. The cops would have known their actions could have and did resulted in death. Education would have prevented death in one of them because of overuse of a taser. All police departments should have a mandatory, with no excuses accepted, education on the "Thou shalt not" rules. Each department is responsible for seeing their officers stay updated when information on the equipment comes out. Regarding my article mentioned above, there is a link to a site from the manufacturer of the taser. They put out new information in 2013. Said knowledge would have prevented the death of one of the individuals from overuse of tasers.
Law enforcement officers need to be taught the history of why the choke hold and other moves are not to be used. This comes into an easy to understand article from Wikipedia on the history of "Burking". It was named after one of two murderers who wanted bodies to sell. It involved the victim's chest not being allowed to expand during the breathing process. This led to smothering. The man in the video regarding the NYC case was overweight and his lungs were already not working properly due to the fat surrounding them. Adding one officer choke holding him, others on top of him, and the only result was death.
Researching actions of the police in NYC led to the above thoughts and conclusions. Some links for your reading:
New York Time's take on such
Washington Post - NYC Mayor's response
Law Officer.com review
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