James J. Nemorin and Rodney Andrews were the two police officers killed execution style during an undercover operation in Staten Island. The operation went bad, but could that have been avoided if the cops were not African-American?

In an article that was published in the Daily News, a person wrote, "The most dangerous job in the NYPD are the undercovers." It’s funny that 85% to 90% of undercover cops are African Americans. Is that to say that African-Americans are best suited for the most dangerous, high-risk assignments?

"I see white cops doing the simple jobs," says eighteen-year old Kenrick Tanner. " African-Americans tend to have the more serious jobs. Due to the fact that we are black, we have more of a risk in the police work."

There are certain procedures that are taken to alleviate the dangers that undercover officers face. So, if precautions existed, why weren’t any of them implemented while the two African American cops were on duty? In the Amsterdam News, a policeman said, "The cornerstone to policing is tactics, and the tactics used in this operation were terrible.”

In addition to the obvious dangers that accompany undercover work there is the possibility of underlying discrimination within the units. What if the two cops were white, would there have been better tactics? Or would the tactics have been the same?

"Better tactics, even in that matter white cops wouldn't even be out there. As far as I am concern(ed), I never heard of white cops dying in the predicament as the two African-American cops," remarked sixteen-year old Kelly George.

For the most part, the public remains unaware of what really goes on in the world of undercover police work, especially regarding the existing discrimination factor. When compared to their fellow white officers, statistics show that African-American undercover officers are subjected to greater risks. It seems as if the two cops were steered towards the more dangerous roles of undercover officers, while white officers were steered towards investigating assignments.

Related Links: NYPD New York Police Memorial

The sad thing is that for twenty years, African-American officers have been struggling to improve conditions in the work force. Unfortunately, It does not seem like they have been getting very far. In the Amsterdam News, a police officer by the name of Adams says that the police department has been trying to update equipment that plays vital roles in undercover operations. One such device allows the conversations officers engage in with potential suspects to be overheard and recorded by officers on the sidelines. Now, that’s nice and all but African-American undercover detectives still seem to get stuck with the outdated equipment. The NYPD’s reason? "There are limited amounts of equipment." Discrimination? I believe so.

Darker skin should not be a “green-light” for police force hand me downs. Nemorin and Andrews were two African American cops experiencing the daily dangers in undercover work that whites wouldn't even touch. Its time for the public to come together and say "No more!" to the discrimination of African Americans in undercover work. Nemorin and Andrews could have been alive today. Every life matters.