While in a New York City park Briana suffered an asthma attack. Her mother after dialing 911 decided to drive Briana to the hospital. With uncooperative traffic, Carmen was forced to pull over and seek assistance. Spotting an NYPD officer she screamed for help and asked the policeman if he could conduct CPR on her daughter. Officer Alfonso Mendez stated he didn’t know CPR and said that she needed to wait for the ambulance to arrive. Briana eventually made it to the hospital to be pronounced dead shorty after.
This story is tragic for a few reasons. First and foremost a young, innocent life was lost. Second, it could have been prevented. Third and quite disturbingly, a person of authority and public trust refused to help in a time of dire need. Who can we turn to if not those who are there to serve and protect? Imagine the horror of watching your child die as a policeman stands idly by. He claims he did not know the procedure. I call bullsh*t. As stated by the NYPD, CPR is a skill requirement of all uniformed officers. If the cop happened to miss that class, he could have at least expended some effort in flagging down a citizen that could properly perform the life saving act. In my opinion his inaction is grounds for dismissal (he is currently suspended). I would even go as far as to suggest charges of manslaughter.
Although this is only one officer in one department, the grave omissions have rocked the community and no doubt shaken the publics’ faith in law enforcement. The people I know in emergency services live to help others and would sacrifice themselves for another in a heartbeat. I couldn’t be more proud to know these brave men and women and I’m lucky enough to be able to call one Hamilton firefighter, my boyfriend.
Your badge and your gun, Mr. Alfonso Mendez. We’ll also take your self respect and sense of human decency.
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