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U.S. NEWS Friday 25 May 2018

Body camera video is latest setback for Milwaukee police

By IVAN MORENO their conversation became member repeated that re- suit over the death of Don- walking through neighbor-
Associated Press tenser, the officer called quest, saying change in the tre Hamilton, a mentally ill hoods, talking to residents
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Body more squad cars for help. department can only hap- black man fatally shot by a and emphasizing his desire
camera video showing po- As Brown is surrounded by pen if the chief is account- police officer after the offi- to restore trust in the de-
lice using a stun gun on an four officers, he's asked to able to city leaders instead cer roused him from a park partment. Rainey bashed
NBA player over a parking take his hands out of his of a civilian commission ap- bench downtown. the video, saying it's not
violation is just the latest pockets and a scuffle en- pointed by the mayor. In 2016, the city paid $5 enough. "First and fore-
setback for efforts to im- sues. Within seconds, one "We can have all sorts of million to settle a lawsuit most, it's going to require
prove relations between officer yelled "Taser! Taser! community meetings and by 74 black residents who something more than a vid-
Milwaukee officers and the Taser!" groups and say all these said police illegally strip- eo, a nice fluffy PR effort,"
city's black population. The video became public wonderful things. But "at searched them between he said. "So it's really going
The confrontation involv- after the department fin- the end of the day, the 2008 and 2012. The Ameri- to require the police to get
ing Sterling Brown of the ished its internal investiga- police chief can do what- can Civil Liberties Union in out here in the community
Milwaukee Bucks also rep- tion. ever he wants without any Wisconsin also has a pend- and really get integrated in
resents the first major chal- The officers were disci- consequences," Alderman ing lawsuit alleging the neighborhoods and build a
lenge for new Police Chief plined because they "act- Tony Zielinski said. department has for years rapport with actual people
Alfonso Morales, who took ed inappropriately," Mo- Morales' spokeswoman targeted black and Latino on a first-name basis."
the job in February promis- rales said. Brown was not said he was not available residents by stopping and Jonathan Safran, a Milwau-
ing to restore public trust in charged with anything. for an interview. questioning them without kee attorney who worked
a department besieged in The chief did not name the Brown has indicated he will cause. on the Dontre Hamilton
recent years by excessive- officers or say how they file a lawsuit against the "It's just another black eye case and lawsuit over ille-
force lawsuits. were disciplined. The Mil- police. If he does, the com- for the city of Milwaukee on gal strip searches, said he's
"Milwaukee has all the in- waukee Journal Sentinel, plaint will add to a long a national level," Alderman optimistic that settlement
gredients to be a great citing unidentified sources, list of litigation the city has Khalif Rainey said. discussions in the ACLU law-
city, but each time an in- said three officers received faced over officer miscon- A day before the Brown vid- suit could lead to changes
cident like this occurs, we suspensions ranging from duct. eo was released, Morales in how officers behave dur-
are reminded of how much two to 15 days. Last year, Milwaukee paid posted a short video on ing traffic and pedestrian
work we still have to do," "I am sorry this incident es- $2.3 million to settle a law- YouTube that showed him stops.q
the city's Common Council calated to this level," said
said in a statement Thurs- Morales, who left a news
day. conference Wednesday
Morales, a lifelong Milwau- without taking questions.
kee resident born to Mexi- The police department did
can immigrants, pledged not identify the races of the
to be more transparent officers, but most of them in
with cases of police mis- the video appeared to be
conduct, and he's already white. Brown is black.
faced TV cameras twice A 2017 analysis by the Jour-
this month to apologize nal Sentinel found that
for his officers' actions. The black officers made up
other case involved four of- about 18 percent of the
ficers caught on video kick- department, in a city that
ing and punching an Afri- is roughly 39 percent black.
can-American man while Morales' predecessor, Ed-
he was restrained on the ward Flynn, had a com-
ground. bative relationship with
The Jan. 26 video of Brown some city officials during
showed how a simple in- his decade on the job. The
teraction quickly esca- Common Council became
lated after an officer ap- so frustrated with him that
proached him about members passed a resolu-
parking in a handicap spot tion asking the state to em- This Jan. 26, 2018 police body-camera footage released by Milwaukee Police Department shows
around 2 a.m. at a Wal- power the council to fire NBA Bucks guard Sterling Brown talks to arresting police officers after being shot by a stun gun in
greens drug store. When him. On Thursday, a council a Walgreens parking lot in Milwaukee. (Milwaukee Police Department via AP)