So, I was doing an interview the other day on the Milwaukee County DAs decision not to charge Officer Christopher Manney in the death Dontre Hamilton, and the reporter (whom shall remain nameless) said whats your reaction to the DAs decision, I mean, this must be what you were hoping for, given what you do. I responded by saying that we (the WPPA) didnt have any aspirations related to his case. We werent involved in this particular incident, and hadnt seen any evidence until the DAs thorough report was released to be able to offer an informed opinion. The rest of my comments were related to my assessment of the investigation and the DAs legal conclusion. Heres the problem. This reporter, whom I respect, just assumed that I would want the officer cleared simply because I work with and for law enforcement officers every day. That anyone would make such an assumption is troubling to me. There are too many people on both sides of these controversial issues regarding police conduct that are quick to render judgments without knowing all of the facts. That there are people, whether theyre in the media or not, that simply expect that kind of issue polarization, is very disappointing, and its indicative of the challenge that we face in order to have a reasonable discourse on these issues. I mean, if were so quick to diminish the views of others on the basis of who they are and not what they have to say, then whats the point? To be clear, if there was sufficient evidence to suggest that Officer Manney, or any officer for that matter, committed a crime, then I would support that officer being charged and prosecuted. Part of my job is to promote the law enforcement profession, and protecting bad officers does nothing to further that mission. As it relates to Officer Manney, that just wasnt the case. The DA made a decision based upon the evidence, and the independent reviews of state and national use of force experts. I appreciate the DAs conclusion, not because it clears the officer, but because its supported by the facts and the law. In any event, I wanted to share that, as it strikes me as important, and my comments to the reporter didnt make the final cut of the story. If you took the time to read this diatribe, thanks.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 17:08:30 +0000