Not Very Honorable Honors

It was bad enough when some Riverside policemen went for the skinhead look to protest the firing of four officers involved in the controversial shooting of an African American woman in their city. But the quiet town of Claremont has topped those shaved heads.

In January, two Claremont police officers fatally shot an African American man after a traffic stop, claiming that he had pulled a .45-caliber gun from his waistband and fired at them. But a Sheriff’s Department investigation showed that the gun had not been fired, bore no fingerprints and was last registered to a deceased police chief. There is also a dispute over what can be heard on a police audiotape of the incident.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office declined to prosecute, but the U.S. Justice Department, properly, is still investigating the matter.

Last weekend, the Claremont Police Department declared the two cops--Hany Hanna and Kent Jacks--officers of the year. Earlier, the Claremont city manager named them city employees of the year. Claremont Police Chief Robert Moody and a city spokesperson say the awards honor the professionalism that Hanna and Jacks showed in dealing with criticism after the shooting. No, they weren’t kidding.

We’ve seen El Monte police come up with at least three versions of a botched drug raid that ended in the fatal shooting of a grandfather in his home. A Los Angeles police scandal investigation has uncovered evidence of unwarranted shootings by officers and more. There is a broad context here, and Claremont is mistaken if it thinks that public concern rests with just a few local protesters.

The department and the city have a responsibility to support all of their citizens. They err in conferring high awards on two officers who are still under federal scrutiny. It puts out a message all right, but is this the one that Claremont wants to send?