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u.s. news Diamars 1 september 2020

NYPD to adopt guidelines for disciplining officer misconduct

By MICHAEL R. SISAK making a false statement.
Associated Press Among the other items cov-
NEW YORK (AP) — When ered in the matrix: If an of-
the New York Police Depart- ficer forgets to turn on his
ment fired an officer last year or her body camera while
for putting Eric Garner in a responding to an incident, he
deadly chokehold, the offi- or she can be suspended or
cer’s union argued that there docked three days, but if it’s
was little, if any, precedent done intentionally, it’s a 20-
within the department’s in- day punishment.
ternal disciplinary system for Accessing confidential infor-
such a penalty. mation can be punished with
Now, the nation’s largest po- a 10-day suspension or loss of
lice department is spelling vacation days, while leaking
out potential ramifications confidential information to
for officer misconduct, un- the news media can be pun-
veiling on Monday a draft of ished with a 20-day suspen-
a discipline matrix that will sion or loss of vacation days.
guide punishment decisions Chokeholds resulting in
similarly to how sentencing death and the intentional
guidelines are used in crimi- use of a chokehold are also
nal cases. It will be adopted grounds for firing. The
after a 30-day public com- NYPD has long banned
ment period. chokeholds and lawmakers
“We wanted to make it very, In this Feb. 9, 2020 file photo, New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, left, speaks recently passed laws explic-
very clear that if you do cer- alongside Mayor Bill de Blasio during a news conference concerning two police involved shootings, itly outlawing the tactic. One
tain things there are certain in New York. was named for Garner, who
consequences,” said Assistant Associated Press died in 2014 after then-Offi-
Chief Matthew Pontillo, who cer Daniel Pantaleo put him
helped develop the disciplin- The head of the city’s larg- The NYPD is shifting to for- that the public be informed in a chokehold.
ary policies with the help est police union blasted the mal disciplinary guidelines at how often Shea deviates from In developing a discipline
from department officials guidelines for different rea- a time when law enforcement it. matrix, the NYPD is fulfill-
and outside agencies. sons, painting them as a way agencies around the world Around the same time, state ing one of the last remain-
Mayor Bill de Blasio called it for elected officials “to ma- are being pressed to be more lawmakers sought to shed ing recommendations from
a “big step forward for trans- nipulate NYPD discipline to transparent about discipline more light by repealing a a panel of criminal justice ex-
parency and accountability.” further their radical political in the wake of protests over decades-old law that had perts that examined the disci-
Fred Davie, chair of the city’s goals.” the Minneapolis police kill- kept police disciplinary files plinary process on its behalf
police watchdog agency, said “Apparently mandatory mini- ing of George Floyd in May. secret. Police unions suing two years ago.
he was “encouraged by some mums and sentencing guide- Police Commissioner to block their release are ap- While the experts found that
of the clear standards laid out lines are unfair to criminals Dermot Shea, who will still pealing after a judge ruled the disciplinary process gen-
in this new set of rules.” but perfectly fine for cops,” have the final say on disci- last week that they should be erally worked well, they said
Police reform advocates said Pat Lynch, president of pline, said it was important made public. a set of guidelines would
weren’t as enthused, argu- the Police Benevolent Asso- to have a “road map” so the A 48-page draft report lists help eliminate perceptions of
ing the NYPD still has too ciation, suggesting the guide- public and officers know presumptive penalties for favoritism or bias in officer
much power policing its own lines would be subject to what to expect. Development dozens of forms of miscon- punishment. They also called
and that it rarely enforces top change “based on headlines of the matrix was well under- duct, including termination for stiffer penalties for offi-
penalties, with just 12 of- and poll numbers, rather way when city council passed for using deadly physical cers making false statements
ficers fired for misconduct than any objective sense of a law in June mandating its force without justification, and committing domestic
since the mid-1980s. justice or fairness.” use. The law also requires engaging in hate speech and violence. q

St. Louis couple charged after waving guns appear in court

By JIM SALTER The couple said the demon- broken.
Associated Press strators knocked down an “We are simply anxious to re-
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The at- iron gate and ignored a “No move all the noise from this
torney for a white St. Louis Trespassing” sign, and they case, move the case forward,
couple charged for waving felt threatened. and have the facts heard by
guns during a racial injustice Mark McCloskey, 63, came a jury and let the jury decide
protest outside their home out with AR-15 rifle, accord- whether or not the McClo-
said Monday that they’re ing to court records, which skeys committed any felony
anxious to prove “with abso- said Patricia McCloskey, 61, offenses because we are con-
lute certainty” that they did displayed a semiautomatic vinced with absolute certain-
not commit a crime. handgun. No shots were ty that there was no felony
One week after Mark and fired. committed here,” Schwartz
Patricia McCloskey spoke St. Louis Circuit Attorney said.
on video to the Republican Kim Gardner said their ac- Missouri law allows hom-
National Convention, they tions created the risk of eowners to use force, even
were in court briefly Monday bloodshed during what she lethal force, to defend their
morning and did not enter called an otherwise peaceful homes. Mark and Patricia McCloskey listen to their attorney Joel Schwartz
a plea. The judge continued protest. She charged both The McCloskeys drew sup-
their case until Oct. 6. with felony unlawful use of a port from President Donald address the media as they leave court after a first appearance
The couple emerged from weapon. Trump, Missouri Gov. Mike on felony weapons charges on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in St.
their Renaissance palazzo- The McCloskeys did not Parson and other leading Re- Louis, Mo.
style mansion with guns on speak to reporters after the publicans. Associated Press
the night of June 28 after court hearing. Their attor- Last week, the McCloskeys, speech of the Republican to defend themselves and
protesters veered onto their ney, Joel Schwartz, reiterated who are both attorneys, made National Convention that their property.q
private street. their claims that no laws were the case in an opening night they had a “God-given right”