OpenCDA

November 17, 2014

What’s Missing Here?

Filed under: Probable Cause — Bill @ 8:08 am

CDAPDLOGO-2OpenCdA sees that Lee White, the newly hired Coeur d’Alene police chief, is accepting applications from citizens willing to serve on the City’s Use of Force Review Board.  The City will authorize two qualified citizens to serve on the Board.

The public information suggests the citizens on the Board will receive “information on basic law enforcement training as well as case law as it pertains to use of force, what constitutes excessive force, and police policies and procedures.”  That makes sense.

But noticeably absent from the citizens’ training syllabus is how to recognize the methods and techniques that some law enforcement officers and agencies use to cover and conceal excessive force from use of force review boards and the public.  We think that training needs to be included, and the City of Coeur d’Alene need look no further than Spokane attorney Breean Beggs to provide it.  It was Beggs’ and the Center for Justice’s tireless efforts that kept the homicide of Otto Zehm by Spokane Police Officer Karl Thompson in the public eye in spite of efforts by the Spokane Police Department to cover for Thompson’s criminal actions.

Or the City of Coeur d’Alene could invite Hayden attorney Larry Beck to be a guest lecturer.  It was Beck who successfully represented former CdAPD Lieutenant Dan Dixon in his federal lawsuit against the City for constructive discharge; violation of substantive due process rights in employment; breach of employment contract; negligence in investigation and termination of employment; inadequate training and supervision of city employees; and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

We have been told that citizens on the Coeur d’Alene Use of Force Review Board will be required to sign some sort of confidentiality agreement.  If so, we wonder how that squares with Chief White’s statement that, “Citizens serving in this capacity will increase transparency, accountability, and public input into police operations.”   Given the City of Coeur d’Alene’s historic inclination to ensure that its various committees and commissions are packed with headnodders and that honest citizens on them are marginalized and sometimes removed for daring to seek and expose the facts rather than parrot the party line, we are skeptical.  Maybe this time the City will prove our skepticism to be unfounded.

 

6 Comments

  1. Beck would be a good choice, but I wonder if he would do it…he seems to do darn good with the status quo. Speaking of which, was the total amount the city paid as damages, interest, attorney fees, ever made public?

    Comment by up river — November 17, 2014 @ 3:49 pm

  2. up river,

    The last dollar figure I saw was $3,238,899 in the memorandum decision and order. I saw no mention of interest or attorney fees, but those may have been included.

    Comment by Bill — November 17, 2014 @ 4:14 pm

  3. In my opinion, transparency and accountability should begin with the release of any and all 911 tapes as well as the officer’s video tape of his conversation with the owner of Java in the Arfee issue. To the best of my knowledge, they have not been released.

    Comment by Susie Snedaker — November 17, 2014 @ 10:45 pm

  4. Susie,

    If we had any credible, honest, and aggressive news media in the Spo-d’Alene area, they would have done public records requests for that and a great deal more information. Though it doesn’t show up in any formal surveys that I know of, Idaho would be also be last in yet another category: quality of news coverage.

    Comment by Bill — November 18, 2014 @ 6:06 am

  5. I think the best man for the job is Bill McCrory. I don’t know Bill personally, but from what I have gleaned over the years of reading and contributing to this blog, I have found him consistently fair, open to productive dialogue, and reserved in casting judgement. Those traits along with his more worldly experiences and continuing education (even though he’s “retired”) would add a needed dynamic that would no doubt heighten the bar for those working to make CDA a better place to live.

    Comment by Old Dog — November 18, 2014 @ 9:08 am

  6. Old Dog,

    Thank you, but I am not going to submit my name for the Use of Force Review Board. If the City and Chief are serious, they will have plenty of good applicants from whom to select two well-qualified ones. Whether they’re serious or not, I don’t want to be encumbered by a nondisclosure agreement and be forced to be quiet about any coverups. Sometimes it’s better and more effective to be on the outside of the barbed wire looking in.

    Comment by Bill — November 18, 2014 @ 12:33 pm

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