Thoughts After Yesterday's MeetingOne of the things that stood out, for me anyway, in yesterday's town hall conference call was about the proof that the DOJ will need to get #JusticeForEthan. The words "willful criminal activity" were mentioned.
What exactly does that mean? The definition of willful is something that is said or done deliberately or intentionally. In January of 2001, the DOJ published "Principles for Promoting Police Integrity." On page 14, you'll find this little gem: |
Law enforcement officers should receive training regarding interaction with persons with disabilities, especially persons with mental illness, to minimize incidents where unexpected actions are misconstrued as suspicious or illegal activity or uncooperative behavior.
There's that magic word again... training. So, they "should" have been trained about disabilities. It doesn't take much time or effort to see just how much information there is out there on being placed faced down and restrained. AELE (Americans for Effective Law Enforcement) published quite a bit on the subject in 2008-2009 and they had references going back many years. Here are just two of the passages that I found interesting:
Liability can attach because officers (or others) continuously applied weight to a person’s back, while they suffocated in a face-down body position. (p. 101)
Officers must be taught to avoid putting their body weight on a confined person as soon as active resistance has ended or the person has been adequately restrained from causing harm to himself or others. (p. 106)
I'm no expert - but seems to me that they "should" have known before hand what they were doing was wrong. How is it possible that they were not found responsible by the grand jury? Did they not get the same information? Hmm... right, we don't know what information they were given because it's all a secret.
Here's my favorite part. (sarcasm) Watch this interview with Sheriff Jenkins. Pay close attention to the segment around 1:15 where he talks about "human issues."
Here's my favorite part. (sarcasm) Watch this interview with Sheriff Jenkins. Pay close attention to the segment around 1:15 where he talks about "human issues."
Now, again, I'm no expert, but "It's not just a training issue" sounds to me like he knew more than he was saying about "human issues" and reactions to disability. I could be wrong....but it all sounds pretty 'willful' to me.
Tell me what you think.
Tell me what you think.