Why does this keep happening?
Written by Sheriff Paul Heroux, former Mayor of Attleboro, who posted this on his Facebook page and was written in response to the two men killed by ICE agents this week.
“Why does this keep happening? Other law enforcement agencies deal with people resisting arrest and interference from the public without repeatedly making news for the same thing. Why is that?”
Two things come to mind.
First, training.
Massachusetts police receive six months of standard training. FBI and DEA agents get about 20 weeks, plus specialized training. Massachusetts jail corrections officers receive 12 weeks.
Many ICE agents, however, received only 47 days (6.7 weeks) of training, down from the 27 weeks they used to get. They were set up to fail.
This shortened training is ending, which is a welcome recognition that insufficient training was part of the problem.
Adequate training is what keeps law enforcement officers from making mistakes in the first place.
Second, investigations and accountability.
Holding people accountable helps keep an organization from repeating the same mistakes.
In law enforcement, there is a normal process that follows an officer’s or agent’s use of force.
The officer is often immediately placed on administrative leave while an investigation begins. Investigators examine all the circumstances and all available evidence. They determine whether the use of force was appropriate based on established use-of-force standards. They also determine whether the officer or agent deviated from training or policy, identifying the specific policies and training involved and comparing them to the officer’s actions.
While that investigation is underway, the government should extend sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased, ask for patience, and explain the process by which officers are trained to use force and under what circumstances. Declaring innocence or guilt before an investigation is complete is not the normal or appropriate course.
At the conclusion of the investigation, a report is typically generated. Supervisors review the findings and determine the appropriate response based on policy and similar past cases. Public statements should be based on those findings—not speculation.
The officer or agent is also presented with the findings and can prepare for any consequences if excessive force is determined to have occurred.
Given the high-profile nature of these incidents, the findings should be made public.
Only after this process is complete should the government comment on whether the officer acted reasonably.
This process is time-consuming and, admittedly, not exciting. But it is necessary. It prevents rushed judgments and helps ensure that mistakes are not repeated.
If this doesn’t happen, change doesn’t happen.
The public has a duty not to interfere with law enforcement and not to resist arrest. But that does not mean the government can do whatever it wants. The government must hold itself to a higher standard than the public.
The legitimacy of law enforcement depends on the professional standards its officers uphold and on the integrity of the investigations and accountability that follow when those standards are violated.
“We cannot break the law to enforce the law.”
Some editorial context from The South Coast Spotlight – Two recent fatal shootings of motorists by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are sparking renewed calls for changes to how the federal agency operates.
U.S. officials claimed in both cases this month that the victims had used their vehicles to threaten pursuing officers. The officers were not wearing bodycams in either incident, and reports have emerged that both victims — one in Biddeford, Maine, and the other in Houston, Texas — were targeted by mistake.
