I have to agree with Bill McEwen's column today. With two officer-involved fatal shootings in two days (here and here), people are going to raise questions. No matter how justified the shootings may turn out to be, the community will expect clear answers.
So far this year, Fresno has had 10 police shootings, six of them fatal. As McEwen said, "Citizens haven't had a way to learn the facts -- let alone details -- of police shootings. Police control the information. Internal-affairs investigations are shrouded in mystery, their findings almost always kept secret."
Filling the auditor position, which Mayor Ashley Swearengin said the city is close to doing, needs to happen as soon as possible.
I don't believe that you will see anything change with the hiring of a Police Auditor. Call me cynical if you wish but whoever the person is that gets the job will still be employed by the City and will do what they are told to do.
The only way the Auditor position works is if he or she is totally independent and is given the power and authority to investigate any incident involing the PD. I doubt that the Police Chief would ever allow that to happen on his watch and so what do you have a highly paid Police Auditor with no power to do anything.
I still believe that until there is a change in leadership at the Police Department and to a certain extent at City Hall, nothing is going to change or improve for the better in Fresno.
I disagree with the premise. Having discussed this with several others, none of us had questions about either shooting, at least none which cannot be addressed by the police department internally. As usual, it appears the suspects invited their own demise. Also, we are more comfortable with experienced, law enforcement professionals who have faced such life and death situations evaluating these incidents rather than what we presume will be a bureaucrat who has never before been threatened with potentially lethal force while wearing a badge on the front lines.
Absolutley!
Fresno needs/demands a Police Auditor so we can put these debates to rest!
We need alot of things (water) that is more important than a Police auditor. The city is talking about laying off city workers (cops and firemen). Ok we don't have money to pay for public safty but lets pay someone the money we are not going to pay them. lets pay somebody to stop the gang members from running the city not someone to watch them take and question the ones out there stopping them..
Cops are above the law in this town, that's how it is, that's how it will remain.
Get over it.
And don't do anything unlawful and dumb or you'll find yourself in a pool of blood with holes all over yourself.
I don't believe we need one. To those they think the cops are killing people for no reason I say you go out there and see what you face on the streets. People are freaking nuts and will kill anyone these days. The cops are protecting the lives of you and your families. If they dont want to get shot dont break the law, run away and or challenge an officer. They deserve to go home to their families at the end of the day. Its not easy on an officer when he/she has to kill someone. It stays with them for a very long time.
I don't read Bill McEwen's column because he's a hack and don't think his opinion is any more valuable than any blogger.I believe the mayor,city manager and police chief are informed of all information on all of these incidents... so where is the big mystery and secrecy?They were hired and are paid to deal with such things so why don't they just do their jobs instead of caving into whiners who only know what they are spoon fed by folks like McEwen and his propogandist co-horts.
I think McEwen just wants/ needs more City government to cover for job security reasons. I've never known him to oppose any expansion of government, especially local government.
The notion that government is improved by an ad hoc job description is a sign of the times. The notion that it will change the outcomes between police and suspects in accelerated circumstances is ludicrous. Only individuals without an understanding of responsibility would want the job anyway. They would standout in any investigational picture for what they are, a prejudicial layer of meaningless oversight to pad the reports of armchair quarterbacks.