retirement, best places to retire, best country clubs, places to retire
This week started the trial for two New York City Police officers in regard to the involvement in a 2006 shooting. The 2006 shooting involved five police officers who fired a combined total of 50 bullets, which resulted in the death of Sean Bell. The two additional officers are offering to retire instead of seeking a trial to defend their actions.
The victim in the shooting, Sean Bell age 23, was leaving a Jamaica, Queen Strip Club with two friends. Bell was supposed to attend his own wedding later in the day. The NYPD faced intense criticism. Many believed that their undercover police officers acted in an appropriate manor, using excessive tactics. The shooting has been declared by some as being, “one of the most tragic in the department’s history.”
Back in 2008, three of the police officers who hired upon Bell were acquitted of criminal charges in New York State Supreme Court. The presiding judges ultimately choose to acquit the three, stating that “questions of carelessness and incompetence must be left to other forums.” Since then there have been trials in Federal District Court as well as at Police Headquarters. The current trial at headquarters is to determine the appropriate disciplinary actions, if it is determined that officers acted beyond the scope of their internal guidelines.
At the trial, which began on Monday, two officers were defending themselves and fought to retain their jobs with the force. The officers maintain what they have said all along, that they had reason to believe that Bell and his friends were intending to commit a drive-by shooting. The other two officers are offering to leave the force and surrender some pay and vacation days to settle the dispute. Due to the intense nature of this case, it may benefit them to move out of the state and research the best places to retire.