“I think one thing everybody needs to understand is even though we are men in uniform wearing a badge and we train with these weapons, we are still just human,” said Trotwood police Assistant Chief Eric Wilson, who is black. He was among the panelists at the forum, which was held at the Dayton Boys Preparatory Academy.
Wilson and other panelists Dayton police Chief Richard Biehl and Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer said their departments all have Tasers, bean bag rounds, ASP batons and pepper spray at their disposal.
“All our tools are used for our defense,” Wilson said. “We’re not the aggressors, or I would hope we’re not the aggressors out there.”
Biehl said those tools of force are measured against the threat facing the officers or members of the public.
“It’s not a graduated ladder of force or counter force, but is it proportional?” he asked. “You don’t want to face a lethal threat … with a less-than-lethal option.
“The minute threat stops, force must stop,” Biehl noted. “If that’s one round or five rounds, that’s what determines it. It could end with the person surrendering, it could end with the person being incapacitated, it could end with the person dying. But, it’s really about when the threat ends.”
Amaha Sellassie, the fourth member of the panel, said the decision to use force — what kind and how often — can be a product of racial bias. The City of Dayton Human Relations Council member said studies have shown that lighter-skinned people are viewed as less of a threat than darker-skinned people and that African-American boys are seen as older than they are.
“It’s during the split-second decisions that can lead to a decision of force being used or not being used,” he said of black youth like Rice. “They’re seen as more aggressive or more of a threat.”
Plummer said he hopes officers use common sense when dealing with young people.
“That’s the problem with these guys. They jump out of a car and they think their lives in danger and they do what they have to do, but there’s a lot that goes into it,” Plummer said of Rice’s death. “You have get intelligence, good intelligence from the dispatcher… .He only knows what he’s being told.”
The forum touched on the historic distrust between minority communities and law enforcement, diversity of police forces and the need for better communication.
Biehl said his officers have used less-than-lethal force in situations where there was a possibility that a suspect could have used a firearm, but that the public doesn’t hear about it.
“The shooting that doesn’t happen isn’t a headline,” he said. “Just the one that does.”
UPDATE @ 7:11 p.m. (Jan. 25): The town hall has begun. We'll update this developing report as necessary.
FIRST REPORT
The Dayton Unit of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is hosting a Town Hall entitled “Deciding When To Use Less-Lethal Devices.”
The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, at the Dayton Boys Preparatory Academy, 1923 W. Third Street.
The guest panelists will include Chief Richard Biehl, Dayton Police Department; Sheriff Phil Plummer, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department; Assistant Chief Eric Wilson, Trotwood Police Department; and Amaha Sellassie, Human Relations Council.
The moderator will be Rev. Dr. David I. Fox, Chair of the Dayton Unit NAACP Criminal Justice Committee.
“We will continue to hold the Police Departments and the Sheriff’s Department accountable for their actions, but we need your assistance with holding your own loved ones accountable for their actions,” Derrick L. Foward, President of the Dayton Unit NAACP, said in a release.
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