U.S. Plans Probe of Detroit Police Shootings, Alleged Misconduct Will Be Focus of Investigations

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PLANS PROBE OF DETROIT POLICE SHOOTINGS, ALLEGED MISCONDUCT WILL BE FOCUS OF INVESTIGATIONS
8/11/13 9:22 PM
U.S. PLANS PROBE OF DETROIT POLICE SHOOTINGS, ALLEGED MISCONDUCT WILL BE FOCUS OF INVESTIGATIONS By JOE SWICKARD, DAVID ASHENFELTER and SUZETTE HACKNEY FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERSDetroit Free Press; Detroit, Mich. 12-13-2000 U.S. PLANS PROBE OF DETROIT POLICE SHOOTINGS, ALLEGED MISCONDUCT WILL BE FOCUS OF INVESTIGATIONS Byline: By JOE SWICKARD, DAVID ASHENFELTER and SUZETTE HACKNEY FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS Edition: METRO FINAL Section: NWS Type: News The U.S. Justice Department is launching a full-scale investigation of the Detroit Police Department, identified by the Free Press as having the highest rate of fatal police shootings among America's largest cities, federal officials said Tuesday. Justice officials said they plan to conduct a pattern or practice investigation, the same kind of probe that has forced sweeping reforms in police departments nationwide. It said it is conducting separate criminal investigations into several fatal shootings by Detroit police. The specific shootings weren't identified. The Justice Department's letter to Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, dated Monday, said in part: "Our investigation will focus on allegations that the Detroit Police Department has engaged in a pattern or practice of violating individuals' constitutional rights by using excessive force and providing inadequate conditions of confinement to pretrial detainees." The probe also will examine other allegations of police misconduct, including
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Document Page: U.S. PLANS PROBE OF DETROIT POLICE SHOOTINGS, ALLEGED MISCONDUCT WILL BE FOCUS OF INVESTIGATIONS
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the deaths of prisoners in police lockups. In May, a Free Press analysis of FBI records found that Detroit leads the nation's big cities in the rate of fatal shootings by police yet the department failed to conduct thorough investigations or hold officers accountable in some shootings. After the findings were presented to police executives, Archer announced several reforms that included transferring the investigations of police shootings from the Homicide Section to internal affairs. The letter announcing the federal probe was signed by Bill Lann Lee, Assistant U.S. Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, and Saul Green, U.S. Attorney for Eastern Michigan. They said the separate criminal investigation of fatal shootings would bring "appropriate action if we determine that a violation of federal criminal civil rights laws occurred." In the letter, Lee said he decided to conduct the investigation partly because of "significant additional information about conduct by Detroit Police Department officers from a variety of sources." Detroit Police Chief Benny Napoleon said he was not surprised that prisoner deaths also will be investigated given numerous complaints to justice officials. Police officials said about three or four prisoners die each year. The chief promised his department's cooperation: "We will do absolutely nothing to impede the progress of this investigation. I am committed to giving them anything they need." Archer, in a prepared statement, also promised cooperation. "We look forward to working with the Department of Justice to identify any
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problems that need further attention, and to develop effective solutions that will preserve the belief by our citizens in the integrity of our police department." "It's about time," said Detroit lawyer Juan Mateo, who is representing the family of Darren Miller, one of three people killed by Detroit Police Officer Eugene Brown during his six years on the force. Brown, who has been involved in more shootings than any Detroit officer, initially was cleared by departmental investigations. Then, after public outcry, the department reinvestigated and concluded that the fatal shootings were unjustified. But the department pulled back the report to rework it and has not released its findings. Meanwhile, Brown is in line for promotion to sergeant. Critics say Brown symbolizes the department's unwillingness to deal with questionable shootings and the need for federal intervention. Detroit City Council President Gil Hill was far less enthusiastic about federal agents rooting through the police department. "You can invite them in, but they don't know when to go home," said Hill, a retired homicide inpsector. He said the situation could have been handled without federal intervention "if we had the will." But Councilwoman Sheila Cockrel, who persuaded her colleagues in September to endorse the call for a full federal investigation, welcomed the probe. "It's an opportunity that could lead to significant reforms," Cockrel said.
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"It's the first step in changing the police culture and bringing down the blue curtain of secrecy." She said she hopes the investigation will save lives, help the city lower its litigation costs, improve police-community relations and root out bad cops who give good cops a bad reputation. The city has paid out nearly $124 million in police lawsuits, including those involving police shootings, since 1987 amid demands from the City Council that police executives do a more effective job of identifying and dealing with problem officers. Last year, the city said it paid out $16.5 million for police shooting lawsuits. Archer and the City Council each had called for a federal investigation amid public outcry over fatal shootings by police. While the council urged the full-blown patterns and practices investigation, Archer told federal officials in a meeting last month that a less rigorous review of the department, coupled with suggestions, might be sufficient. Archer's muted position in the meeting contrasted with his dramatic public invitation in September for federal scrutiny. Archer insisted that he had not retreated from his original request. "I'm very optimistic," said Southfield attorney David A. Robinson, who has successfully sued the city on behalf of families of people who were killed in Detroit police shootings or who died in Detroit police lockups. "These deaths involve the same problem -- a failure to objectively investigate and hold officers accountable for their conduct," said Robinson, a former Detroit police officer.
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He said the prisoners' deaths are even more egregious than the police shootings because they involved people who begged jailers to take them to the hospital for medical problems. "There are people who are literally left to die because they were presumed to be undeserving of medical attention," Robinson said. One of Robinson's cases involves Larry Bell, 46, of Detroit, an armed robbery suspect who died of a heart attack in the lockup at police headquarters in October 1997. Robinson said police repeatedly denied Bell medical treatment. Robinson said Bell, a heroin addict, had vomited repeatedly in the 36 hours before he died and was so sick, police had to hold up his head so his mug shot could be taken. When a prisoner told an officer Bell was suffering from withdrawal and needed medical attention, Robinson said the officer cursed Bell, called him a "dope fiend" and said, "Let him die." Bell's relatives filed a lawsuit against the city. It was settled last year for about $400,000. Robinson said the U.S. Attorney's Office asked him for his litigation files on several prisoner deaths several months ago. WHAT'S NEXT * The federal probes announced Tuesday have no time limits, but Detroit police officials said they were told the investigations could last about a year. * Detroit police officials still have not finalized their own reinvestigation of several shootings by Officer Eugene Brown. Brown's scheduled promotion to sergeant is on hold, and he is still assigned to inside duty. * A citizens panel continues to review options to lethal force.
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Contact DAVID ASHENFELTER at 313-223-4490 or ashenf@freepress.com. Contact JOE SWICKARD at 313-223-4557 or swickard@freepress.com. Contact SUZETTE HACKNEY at 313-222-6672 or hackney@freepress.com. ILLUSTRATION: Photo CAPTION: Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer has already announced department reforms. MEMO: SEE ALSO STATE EDITION, PAGE 1A DISCLAIMER: THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THE PRINTED ARTICLE. Copyright 2000 - Detroit Free Press - All Rights Reverved
Citation for your reference:
SWICKARD, By JOE, DAVID. "U.S. PLANS PROBE OF DETROIT POLICE SHOOTINGS, ALLEGED MISCONDUCT WILL BE FOCUS OF INVESTIGATIONS." Detroit Free Press; Detroit, Mich.. 13 Dec. 2000: A1. eLibrary. Web. 11 Aug. 2013.
By, DAVID "U.S. PLANS PROBE OF DETROIT POLICE SHOOTINGS, ALLEGED MISCONDUCT WILL BE FOCUS OF INVESTIGATIONS." Detroit Free Press; Detroit, Mich.. 2000, December 13: A1.
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U.S. Plans Probe of Detroit Police Shootings, Alleged Misconduct Will Be Focus of Investigations

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