Here’s How LSPD Can Demonstrate Renewed Commitment to Service
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Here’s How LSPD Can Demonstrate Renewed Commitment to Service
Tyre Nichols matter inspires impassioned pledge from LSPD. Releasing a suspect ID and badge cam from the Jan 14 OIS is the perfect way to reinforce this pledge.
The sentiments in this LSPD release pledging a renewed commitment to the highest levels of service, dignity and value is great — and we’ve got the perfect opportunity for the department to model this commitment in mind.
Because…We’re still wondering who the dead carjacker was from the Officer Involved Shooting January 14.
Still no ID provided. If dignity is a goal, as it should be, then we’ve got to put a name to the dead. Most agencies have a 24 hour ID turnaround on high visibility incidents these days. Check the Atlanta or Memphis incidents for instance. Honestly our department is far superior to those aforementioned agencies in every other ranking category. Might as well beat ‘em in commitment to transparency and compulsory release of video and ID standards too right?
None of this is an argument in favor of our deceased suspect’s actions. It’s obviously not a critique of the actions of our great first responders, who undoubtedly saved life and limb by putting an end to that Friday’s madness. But we should also be able to see the badge cam video and know whom the guy was.
It’s an argument in favor of the guy’s humanity. It’s a plea for transparency and dignity as the default, with the adoption of policy that commits the department to the immediate release of slain suspect ID following notification; and the automatic release of all available badge cam video unless specifically prohibited by law.
It’s not just the lack of ID and video. The data for the related crimes from that day — the felonies that occurred two miles north of the shooting scene — the assault at Frontier Village to the attempted carjacking …the hit and run accidents — well they don’t even show up on the community crime map. The entire day has been memory holed and partitioned.
The LSPD Chief told J425 he didn’t plan on asking SMART to release the badge cam video at the time of our talk.
But LSPD can release the badge cam, which relates to the fatal shooting of an unmarked suspect. Guys we can’t impede the release of this without doing great harm to public faith in the badge cam program. If taxpayers no that the police just get to decide whether to release it…I mean. Just scrap it. Buy a rookie some extra body armor or invest in extra range training or something I think we all want our money going to something that’s useful.
As for the ID and the withholding of all crime data from that day?
SMART has a lid on that. Still, since the Lake Stevens taxpayer is the owner of the materials in question, our leaders could ask for the material we’re looking for.
I was hoping we could be the kind of City that hit that perfect balance of great cops and great transparency: we have excellent law enforcement. We do.
Look at how they wrapped up and charged the LSHS sex abuse case. LSPD’s decisive action in investigating and charging this case was work that kept the safety of students in the foreground at all times.
That’s excellent.
So we’ve got great police. But are they really going to be transparent too? I mean if the badge cam program gets tested early are the going to batch release without prior review? Or are we going to find out this camera wasn’t on, and this one was broken, and that one worked but we aren’t going to release it.
Will we get the ID of the maniac who tore up our city right away? Or will he be non-personed?
We’re getting those answers now. And there’s time to engineers a transparency friendly result. Things can get done quickly when it matters: Memphis conducted an entire Officer Involved Use of Force/Fatality Investigation and charged five homicides in two weeks, the agency that controls the ID and crime data are missing, well they aren’t answerable to constituents and they took two years before completing the Bothell OIS probe.
The SMART process may be a lot of things, but it’s not swift, transparent or really all that interested in pretending to be.
Check this out: they sent out the exact same media update every Friday in this investigation. The exact same one! Here’s your update media! Same document from the last five Fridays.
Meet the New Update, Same as the Old Update
Go ahead. Compare any two.
Maybe this is what happens when newspapers dry up and pandemic conditions hamstring staffing, procedures and norms.
In summary best way for LSPD to demonstrate the sentiments they express in this release is to expedite the identification of the suspect and to batch release all badge cam video like Memphis did.
Here’s How LSPD Can Demonstrate Renewed Commitment to Service
Totally agree with you on this one Kev: transparency is the way you earn trust
ion think the type of dudes who put out the same media release every friday for six straight weeks like we’re morons ...well they arent about to change on my account lol.