Black Officer Intervenes As White Cop Puts Suspect In Chokehold; Gets Fired Thereafter

The Buffalo Common Council passed a resolution asking the New York Attorney General’s Office to investigate the case of a black female police officer who was fired when she tried to stop a white colleague from persisting in holding a suspect in a firm grip. While the incident occurred in November of 2006, the council wanted to correct what it perceives as wrong.

Crossing The Line

According to the spokesperson of Officer Cariol Horne, she was in her 19th year of serving the police force when the incident happened. Cops need to serve at least 20 years to be eligible for a pension, a rule that disqualified Horne from receiving a pension, her spokesperson told CNN.

In an interview with Brianna Keilar, a CNN senior political correspondent and anchor, Horne expressed her opinion that it would seem the message on her firing at the time is no one should cross the blue line. She revealed that while some officers do, many do not. Horne added she does not want any officer to go through what she has gone through. “I had five children and I lost everything but [the suspect] did not lose his life. So, if I have nothing else to live for in life, at least I can know that I did the right thing and that [he] still breathes,” Horne said.

Correcting The Mistake

In an attempt to correct what it viewed as a mistake, the Buffalo Common Councils is asking federal authorities to take a second look at Horne’s case. Council officials cited the case of George Floyd, who died after Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer, pressed his knee on the black American’s neck for more than eight minutes on May 25.

In its resolution, the council stated there is a responsibility to put forward special protections for police officers who step in to protect citizens in situations where other officers utilize extreme force to restrain them. It also called on the Buffalo Police Department to instill in the mind of officers that it is their “duty to intervene” in certain circumstances. They likewise asked the department to check on Horne’s attendance record and correct any discrepancies for her to be allowed to receive her pension.