PARK’S PLACE-These past few weeks, graphic, videotaped incidents of unarmed civilians being beaten and killed has put law enforcement agencies again, in a negative light. Public trust is invaluable and any occurrence that disrupts the relationship with the community is truly unfortunate.
On Thursday, July 17 in New York City, 43-year-old Eric Garner was apprehended by a group of plainclothes New York Police Department (NYPD) officers for selling loose cigarettes. In the process of subduing Garner for arrest, one of the officers throttled him with what appears to be a chokehold (which is a banned practice for the NYPD and the LAPD. Garner, who was also asthmatic, died of cardiac arrest.
Officer Daniel Pantaleo, an eight-year veteran, has been stripped of his gun and shield and placed on modified duty. The paramedics and EMTs involved have also been disciplined. The video is painful to watch.
Some are citing this death as another failure of the ‘broken windows’ approach to policing that former LAPD Police Chief, and current New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton favors which seeks to focus on punishing smaller, pettier crimes that affect quality-of-life issues to prevent more serious crimes from occurring.Bratton has summoned some officers to come to LA for training on use-of-force techniques. I hope it will be a learning experience for both agencies.
In another incident captured on tape earlier this month, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer was seen pummeling 51-year-old Marlene Pinnock after she attempted to cross the 10 freeway. The family has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the CHP and the officer involved, who in over two weeks, has not been identified.
I’ve said this many times before when such events occur at the hands of officers: what law enforcement sees as an isolated incident, the community sees as a trend and evidence of deliberate police brutality.
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Although I can’t speak for the NYPD or CHP, from my time as an officer and as Police Chief with the LAPD, I can attest that law enforcement officials deal with an immense spectrum of situations, some of which they may not be equipped to properly handle. When all other supportive systems fail society, whether that be the closure of mental health hospitals or an economic climate that makes someone take on odd jobs like selling loose cigarettes just to get by, law enforcement is forced to step in to clean everything up - to be that psychiatrist, that social worker, you name it, to resolve a situation.
Always remember police are here to serve you and to keep you safe; you are their boss and you can hold them accountable. Although tragic incidents may skew your view, know that a very high percentage of our local law enforcement values and respects the insight we provide and wants our community to thrive.
● Save the date: Saturday, August 2 at 9 a.m. I’ll be having my leadership meeting at the Constituent Service Center. I’ll be recapping several prominent events from the past few months including my Fourth of July Jazz on the Hill and Fireworks Extravaganza, Laura’s Law, the overturn of the ban of homeless living in vehicles, and more.
(Bernard Parks is Los Angeles Councilman for the 8th Council District. He is also a former Los Angeles Police Chief. He can be reached at [email protected])
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 12 Issue 61
Pub: Jul 29, 2014
