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The ACLU-EM facilitates positive police community relations in
meetings with grassroots organizations, police officials, clergy and
citizens. The meetings focus on both safety and civil liberty issues
and provide opportunities for expanded discussions, improved
understanding, and implementation of new strategies for resolving
differences.
Police Video Footage Gets National Attention
By Redditt Hudson, Racial Justice Manager
St. Louis made
national and international news when the Fox and NBC news stations
videotaped Maplewood and St. Louis City police officers beating Edmon
Burns
following a high speed chase. Civil liberties are rarely challenged
more
pointedly than when the police take excessive action against citizens.
On the morning of Jan. 30, the violent arrest Edmon Burns on
television captured attention all over the world. After he left his vehicle,
the officers chased, tackled and repeatedly and struck Burns on his head and
face. The officers beat Burns with their fists, and one officer used a metal
baton. Burns was also kicked in the groin and was even stomped.
It appeared that the beating ended only when one of the
officers looked up and saw the television cameras recording the incident. This
is important for two reasons. First, we witnessed this attack only because the traffic helicopters
were in the area and only because they followed and taped the pursuit. Second, it shows that video cameras can have
a deterrent effect on abusive policing. This
reinforces the value of video and the objective record it provides.
The tape raises other issues. Who suspends the rule of law when and if
police officers become angry and seek personal retribution against someone they
are arresting? Do the
protections of the Constitution extend to every citizen? The
answers are simple: No one may legally suspend the rule of law at any point
during an encounter between police and citizens, and the protections of the
Constitution are there for all of us.
Police officers accept the risks that go with the job when
they choose this profession. Training
for police officers includes preparation for making decisions and taking action
in any number of situations where there is a heightened risk to the safety of
both officers and the public. No police
training allows for revenge against suspects or for implementing one’s own version
of law. Sadly, though, police
culture—separate and distinct from police training— sometimes encourages such
illegal and unconstitutional action.
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