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The relationship is
complicated.
Domestic violence is a
primary social concern in the African-American community and
throughout the United States. Concurrently, domestic
disputes are among the deadliest calls that police are
required to put their lives on the line to respond. In that
same vein, Black men and women expect their encounters with
law enforcement to end with lethal force at the hands of the
police.
Those three scenarios came
together in an almost perfect storm last week when a
troubled and emotionally distraught Kwamaine O’Neal was
shot 19 times by four officers from the Toledo Police
Department during a dispute with the mother of his child.
Three white and one black
male officers, responded to a 911 call from an East Toledo
housing project where a young lady, complaining of being
physically assaulted and verbally threatened, locked herself
in an upstairs bathroom.
Listening to the 911
emergency call, it became apparent that O’Neal was seeking
to free himself from the internal prison that struggled to
contain his conflicting emotions about life, his child and
the child’s mother.
The young police officers
(two, aged 26 and two, aged 31), “responding to O’Neal’s
homicidal and suicidal language and threats,” forced their
way into the apartment and shot him as he allegedly pointed
a gun at them.
The incident was the
second officer-involved shooting that has taken place during
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz’s tenure. The mayor has recently
declared “Racism as a Public Health Crisis” while
proclaiming transparency and lauding safety forces that
“Toledo can be proud of.”
Yet Toledo remains one
imprudent trigger-squeeze away from becoming another
poster-child for police use of excessive force despite
reluctance to admit systematic racism exists here locally.
How should the community
perceive the Toledo Police Department’s decision to use
lethal force during last week’s domestic violence incident?
A Few Questions:
Here are a few answers
that the community should demand to determine whether or not
TPD actions are justified.
1.
What attempts at de-escalation did the officers use before
deciding to use lethal force?
2.
What, specifically, was the deciding factor in forcing entry
into the occupied residence?
3.
Were there attempts to use less lethal or other than lethal
options in this incident?
4.
How was it that TPD or the dispatcher assigned these four
relatively inexperienced officers to respond?
5.
Were the responding officers trained to force entry in
situations of domestic violence? Were these officers highly
trained or equipped with the negotiation skills to handle
the incident? If so, were these exhausted? If not, did the
department or emergency dispatcher reach out to request more
experienced or better trained officers?
6.
Can the administration or Chief of Police assure the
community that the officers involved followed all department
policies and guidelines?
7.
Was the bodycam footage of all of the responding officers
made available to the public?
The Importance of Black
Voices:
When diverse officers are
involved in critical incidents, lethal outcomes improve as
cultural barriers are removed, reducing the chance that
suspects’ actions and words are misinterpreted. Toledo
currently does an excellent job of masking its lack of
diversity. Many current black police officers are funneled
into community engagement divisions. Very few, if any, work
in vice, gangs, or SWAT. Besides, there are close to zero
blacks currently serving as command officers – deputy chief,
captain, or lieutenant.
However, an up-to-date
list of officers qualified for promotions is likely to
reveal the presence of outstanding minority officers such as
Marquitta Bey, an exemplary employee. Bey has been passed
over for advance at least three or four times in recent
years.
Transparency Matters:
Finally, in identifying
and eliminating structural racism where it may exist, Toledo
is inclined to allow evaluation only of specific departments
or programs while prohibiting inspection of others. That is
shady.
Suppose a self-proclaimed
“transparent” Toledo truly believes that racism is a public
health crisis and wants the community’s buy-in. In that
case, it should seek an independent, high quality evaluation
of its police department practices.
The Freeh International
Solutions Group is a national organization with a reputation
for performing blue ribbon race, culture, and operational
audits in police departments and other organizations.
If Toledo wants to address
racism and gain credibility and legitimacy from our
community, let them provide independent confirmation of the
reality it now merely ballyhoos. It won’t be cheap.
The good news is that we
can get it for Freeh!
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
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