Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1368157
10 UCW MAY 5-11, 2021 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JEFF THOMPSON, Reporter. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Chief addresses police standards in Fayetteville by JEFF THOMPSON New York banned chokeholds. Seattle required de- escalation training. Los Angeles restricted shooting at moving vehicles. But those reforms did not stop police from killing Eric Garner, Charleena Lyles or Ryan Twyman, who died when officers used the very tactics that the changes were supposed to prevent. Activists say these realizations have created un- precedented momentum for law enforcement reform and some radical ideas like defunding and abolish- ing police. e Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a conservative non-profit think tank that focuses on domestic policy and urban affairs, notes there are good reasons to be skeptical of many of the most popular reforms being advanced. MI suggests that policy makers should consider police reforms aligned with recruiting, training, reliable data and the promotion of body worn cameras. Up & Coming Weekly asked Fayetteville Chief of Police Gina V. Hawkins if department policy specifies that the use of deadly force is the last resort. "e level of force used must be such that it is objectively reasonable and necessary," she respond- ed, noting that the use of force is detailed in North Carolina General Statute §15A-401. Neither state nor local laws refer specifically to the use of deadly force. Hawkins also said that "an officer has a duty to intervene to prevent or stop the use of excessive force by another officer when it is safe and reason- able to do so." In her written responses, Hawkins referred repeat- edly to best practices without elaborating. "I am heavily involved with the recruitment and hiring process, and in seeking the newest and most updated training that follows these best practices," she said. "Oversight, and following the best practices, ensures that we are developing an officer that is well rounded, professional, and constantly learning," she added. Mayor Mitch Colvin addressed the issue of police brutality in an Up & Coming Weekly opinion piece last week. "While our city has certainly had its prob- lems with racial and social bias, to include aggressive policing in predominately Black communities, we have come a long way over the last 8 years," Colvin wrote. e city began revamping its policing policies when former police chief Harold Medlock invited the U.S. Justice Department to evaluate the FPD in 2012/2013. "Many of the changes made were proac- tive and allowed us to get a head start on the neces- sary changes," Colvin added. He pointed out that the city established a Citizens Advisory Board to assist in building better relation- ships with law enforcement and the communities they serve. e mayor supports the FPD's require- ment that officers wear body cameras. e theory of using body cameras is that police officers will be less likely to commit misconduct if they understand their actions are being recorded. North Carolina state law requires that camera footage be made public only when ordered by a judge. "By the time it goes through that judicial process, the trust is broken with the community," Colvin said. "Until governments invest in supporting com- munities rather than criminalizing and controlling them, the violence will not stop," said John Raphling, senior U.S. criminal legal system researcher at Hu- man Rights Watch. Police Chief Gina Hawkins interacts with children dur- ing a community engagement event. (Photo courtesy Fayetteville Police Department) NEWS Summer classes are a great way to: • Pick up needed academic credits before returning to college this fall. • Lessen the class load for fall classes, allowing more time to focus on other classes this fall. (910) 678-8400 or admissions@faytechcc.edu Find Your Way Forward at FTCC! First Session Summer classes begin May 24; Second Session Summer classes begin June 14 Visit www.faytechcc.edu to view the Summer 2021 Curriculum Classes Schedule or scan QR code for a direct link: