Many law enforcement officers are getting in trouble these days because they do their jobs and follow department policy. However, four New York police officers found out just what happens when they don't.

Sidewalk Shooting

According to the New York Daily News, four officers were suspended after a man shot himself on accident while in front of the officers on the sidewalk. It all happened at the corner of f136th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Two of the officers were leaning against a wall watching some men gambling and drinking a little ways away. The officers were on a "crime reduction" assignment on foot.

According to the Daily News, who got video footage of the incident, you can see a flash, then the men scatter. One hops away, presumably the one who shot himself.

In the footage, one of the officers walks to the corner, stops, turns around, and heads back to his partner. He then resumes leaning on the wall. That's when an NYPD vehicle that had been parked in the street pulls up.

Shots Fired

According to law enforcement sources, there was a shots fired 911 call, but the two officers who witnessed the shooting did not call it in. Instead, the officers reported the shooting as a fireworks incident over the radio, then asked for a supervisor.

A few people who were there when the gun fired, came back to retrieve items left when they fled. But, they did not pick up the gun. Instead, they left it in the middle of the sidewalk.

Next to it was a 50-foot trail of blood. The Police Tribune had a source tell them that a police SUV responded to the 911 call, and they are the ones who retrieved the gun.

Under Investigation

All of the officers are being investigated and are on unpaid leave. The source also said that this would not have happened ten years ago. They would have been kicked off the sidewalk. However, he cites decriminalization for the lack of action.

He believes the officers should have stepped in, broken the group up, and sent them all packing. He also blames the current "political climate."

Officers get in trouble for actually doing their jobs instead of towing the current political whims of their city. In turn, officers look the other way and stop looking out for their citizens.