A new policy in South Carolina will allow officers’ names to be withheld from the public in shootings, unless the cops are criminally prosecuted— an unusual guideline that prevents transparency, experts claim.
The rule, handed down recently by 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins and affecting Greenville and Pickens counties in South Carolina, is a clear departure from how law enforcement agencies typically treat the disclosure of officers’ identities, the Greenville News reported. As concerns grow among Black folks for more accountability for officers in deadly shootings and excessive force encounters, the policy will likely face strong opposition.
“I think that’s a mistake, for a couple of reasons,” Seth Stoughton, a former police officer who teaches at the University of South Carolina School of Law, said about the policy, which rebukes the standard 72-hour window to release an officer’s name. “For one, I think refusing to release an officer’s name is frankly anti-democratic.”
Activists have said that the public has a right to know what cops fatally shoot civilians, especially with deadly shootings of people of color having prompted national outcry. The policy comes at a time when the nation is on alert about police brutality and shootings, and the need for cops to practice de-escalation is at a high.
Also, officers are government employees and public servants, Stoughton said. They know that they are held to a higher professional standard and subject to public scrutiny, he added.
A 2004 South Carolina Supreme Court ruling declared that cops are public employees, and “their behavior is of vital public interest that outweighs the right to privacy,” The Associated Press reported. Public interest is even more important in cases where cops have endangered or fatally shot someone.
“Particularly with the relatively extreme action of taking someone’s life or attempting to by shooting at them, there’s a strong public interest in knowing relevant details and that includes an officer’s name,” Stoughton said.
Knowing a cop’s identity can also shed light on if the officer has a dangerous history or ties to violent incidents with citizens, something that shapes the public response to the officer, Stoughton said.
The policy protects officers from any potential threats of violence, Wilkins said. But the rule will not apply in cases involving publicly videotaped incidents, which make known the cop’s identity. Law enforcement agencies are still subject to the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, an open record law that could be enforced to obtain officers’ names in certain cases.
SEE ALSO:
North Carolina Cop Kills 60-Year-Old Black Man Within Minutes After A Traffic Stop
67 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
67 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
1. De’von Bailey, 19
1 of 672. Christopher Whitfield, 31
2 of 673. Anthony Hill, 26
3 of 674. De'Von Bailey, 19
4 of 675. Eric Logan, 54
5 of 676. Jamarion Robinson, 26
6 of 677. Gregory Hill Jr., 30
7 of 678. JaQuavion Slaton, 20
8 of 679. Ryan Twyman, 24
9 of 6710. Brandon Webber, 20
10 of 6711. Jimmy Atchison, 21
11 of 6712. Willie McCoy, 20
12 of 6713. Emantic "EJ" Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., 21
13 of 6714. D’ettrick Griffin, 18
14 of 6715. Jemel Roberson, 26
Source:false 15 of 6716. DeAndre Ballard, 23
Source:false 16 of 6717. Botham Shem Jean, 26
Source:false 17 of 6718. Robert Lawrence White, 41
Source:false 18 of 6719. Anthony Lamar Smith, 24
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19 of 67
20. Ramarley Graham, 18
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20 of 67
21. Manuel Loggins Jr., 31
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21 of 67
22. Trayvon Martin, 17
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22 of 67
23. Wendell Allen, 20
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23 of 67
24. Kendrec McDade, 19
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24 of 67
25. Larry Jackson Jr., 32
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25 of 67
26. Jonathan Ferrell, 24
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26 of 67
27. Jordan Baker, 26
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27 of 67
28. Victor White lll, 22
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28 of 67
29. Dontre Hamilton, 31
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29 of 67
30. Eric Garner, 43
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30 of 67
31. John Crawford lll, 22
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31 of 67
32. Michael Brown, 18
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32 of 67
33. Ezell Ford, 25
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33 of 67
34. Dante Parker, 36
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34 of 67
35. Kajieme Powell, 25
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35 of 67
36. Laquan McDonald, 17
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36 of 67
37. Akai Gurley, 28
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37 of 67
38. Tamir Rice, 12
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38 of 67
39. Rumain Brisbon, 34
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39 of 67
40. Jerame Reid, 36
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40 of 67
41. Charly Keunang, 43
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41 of 67
42. Tony Robinson, 19
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42 of 67
43. Walter Scott, 50
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43 of 67
44. Freddie Gray, 25
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44 of 67
45. Brendon Glenn, 29
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45 of 67
46. Samuel DuBose, 43
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46 of 67
47. Christian Taylor, 19
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47 of 67
48. Jamar Clark, 24
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48 of 67
49. Mario Woods, 26
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49 of 67
50. Quintonio LeGrier, 19
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50 of 67
51. Gregory Gunn, 58
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51 of 67
52. Akiel Denkins, 24
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52 of 67
53. Alton Sterling, 37
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53 of 67
54. Philando Castile, 32
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54 of 67
55. Terrence Sterling, 31
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55 of 67
56. Terence Crutcher, 40
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56 of 67
57. Keith Lamont Scott, 43
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57 of 67
58. Alfred Olango, 38
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58 of 67
59. Jordan Edwards, 15
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59 of 67
60. Stephon Clark, 22
Source:false 60 of 6761. Danny Ray Thomas, 34
Source:false 61 of 6762. DeJuan Guillory, 27
Source:false 62 of 6763. Patrick Harmon, 50
63 of 6764. Jonathan Hart, 21
64 of 6765. Maurice Granton, 24
65 of 6766. Julius Johnson, 23
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Continue reading 67 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
67 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
UPDATED: 9:54 a.m. EDT, November 16, 2019 -- Police shooting and killing Black males is all but a centuries-old American tradition among law enforcement in the U.S. But the fact that this apparent rite of police passage was still thriving in 2019 and expected to continue well into 2020 and beyond should give any American citizen pause as more and more names of Black males continue to be added to a growing list of victims with what seems like a new shooting every week. READ MORE: Police Shootings And The Public Execution Of Black People Other victims' names include, but certainly, aren't limited to: Tamir Rice; Botham Shem Jean; E.J. Bradford; and Michael Brown. As NewsOne continues covering these shootings that so often go ignored by mainstream media, the below running list Black men and boys who have been shot and killed by police under suspicious circumstances can serve as a tragic reminder of the danger they face upon being born into a world of hate that branded them as suspects since birth.
Could New Policy Make It Harder For Black Folks To Hold Killer Cops Accountable? was originally published on newsone.com
