Woman Shocked to See Brother's Mug Shot Photo used as Police Target Practice

[ariesgem]

A North Miami Police department is under fire after a woman discovered that not only were police using actual mug shots of African-American men for shooting targets at a firing range but one of the men in the photo, bearing bullet holes from a police pistol, was the woman's brother.

While North Miami Beach Police Chief J. Scott Dennis admits that the snipers could have used better judgment, he doesn't believe that the use of an all African-American photo lineup for target practice is racial profiling and added that his sniper team has minority officers. Dennis also told the news station that, "pictures are vital for facial recognition drills."

"Our policies were not violated," Dennis said. "There is no discipline forthcoming from the individuals who were involved with this."

snip.....


The news station investigative team did some digging and after speaking with "federal and state law enforcement agencies and five local police departments that have SWAT and sniper teams" no other department uses actual mug shots for target practice."

The use of those targets doesn’t seem correct," Alex Vasquez, a retired FBI agent, told NBC Miami. "The police have different options for targets. I think the police have to be extra careful and sensitive to some issues that might be raised."


The police chief added that his department has no intention of changing its practices and will continue using human targets just not booking photos of suspects they arrested. He will also make sure that officers remove target practice photos from the range once they are done shooting.

"This can create a very dangerous situation," Attorney Andell Brown, an attorney for the Deant family told NBC Miami. "And it has been ingrained in your subconscious what does that mean when someone [police] comes across Woody or another person on the street and their decision-making process on using deadly force or not."


http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2015/01/woman_shocked_to_see_brother_s_mug_shot_photo_used_as_police_target_practice.html

[Rex]

1. Wow, are cops trying to incite violence? Surely they cannot be that stupid and racist.

Common sense says no, but evidence sure does seem to show they are.

[Starry Messenger]

2. k&r