Police Killings

The recent death of 16-year-old John Hampton marks another episode where an unarmed person has been killed by the San Diego police. The fact that the officer involved was a trainee only makes the death more tragic.

Serious questions are raised in a situation where an already controversial force procedure--the carotid hold--is applied by someone in training. Hampton’s death is the most recent in a series of controversial police killings of unarmed people, including a former carotid hold case approximately eight months ago.

These deaths are unfortunate reminders of San Diego’s record number of deadly force shootings by police during 1989-90.

We are all affected by the escalating violence in our communities, whether domestic violence, gang-drug violence or police-related violence.

The recent formation by the chief of police of a blue-ribbon panel on violent crime, the development of advisory boards on police-community relations, civilian review and complaint boards, and human relations commissions at city and county levels attest to our commitment to deal with such violence.

With regard to police violence, however, we must understand that these boards and commissions lack the kind of enforcement powers that can make them truly effective. They are without the real teeth required to make police officers fully accountable for excessive and unwarranted deadly force. And, most importantly, they are vulnerable to being used as buffer mechanisms to ward off serious criticism of law enforcement agencies.

Despite the innovations discussed by the chief of police, despite the seeming concern for bringing policing “back to the community” through “problem-oriented policing,” we continue to witness the inexplicable deaths of unarmed people at the hands of law enforcement officers. It must stop! Now!

What this requires is not any “clean sweep” of the Police Department, nor is any complete revamping of training the answer. What is required is the establishment of clear standards of police behavior in this community. Standards, articulated in legislation, that simply make it unacceptable than an unarmed person, youth or adult, would lose his or her life at the hands of, or in the custody of “groups” of law enforcement officers. No exceptions. No extenuating circumstances. Simply unacceptable, and thus punishable.

The systematic eradication of violence in our city requires that as a community we confront it whenever and wherever it manifests itself. To this end, we have delegated authority to our police to intervene on our behalf and to protect us. It is a public trust of the highest order. The violation of this trust through the use of unwarranted, unnecessary and often deadly violence by police officers will precipitate a crisis of major proportions in our city.

ARTHUR L. ELLIS, Professor of Social Work, San Diego State University and Chairman, Citizens Advisory Board on Police Practices