Post by pelicanguy on Apr 3, 2007 10:20:24 GMT -5
youtube.com/watch?v=tbGC4QfJzuA
WTF was she thinking?
Charleston Post & Courier
Officer punished for shove
Policewoman's push propelled skateboarder over hedge and into spotlight
BY GLENN SMITH AND NOAH HAGLUND
The shove seen 'round the world has earned a Charleston police officer a 10-day suspension without pay, Police Chief Greg Mullen said Friday.
An internal investigation determined that Pfc. Willie Simmons, 49, used an unnecessary level of force when she pushed 19-year-old skateboarder Corey Dowds over a hedge in Waterfront Park several months ago, Mullen said.
By his own admission, Dowds knew he was violating the citywide ban on skateboarding at the time, Mullen said. But he posed no threat to Simmons, the chief said, and she had no reason to shove him over a bush.
Mullen said he found no malicious intent behind Simmons' actions. She had been a foot patrol officer in the park for several years and felt a strong connection to the place. She had seen the damage caused by skateboarders, and 'she allowed her emotions to take control' that day, he said.
Police said the incident happened between November 2005 and March 2006. Dowds wasn't injured and he filed no complaint that day. Simmons didn't cite Dowds and allowed him to leave with his board.
The confrontation might have been forgotten altogether had the skateboarder's brother, Cheyne Dowds
, not videotaped it and provided a copy to The Post and Courier. The video clip ignited a media frenzy, provoking strong opinions around the country as it played repeatedly on the Web and on television.
Last week, ABC flew the Dowds brothers to New York City to discuss the incident with anchor Diane Sawyer on 'Good Morning America.'
Cheyne Dowds said Friday that he never intended to get any police officers in trouble. He said he wanted to put a spotlight on how officers treat skateboarders.
'It's not the officer's fault, it's the city's,' he said. 'That officer was just doing what every other officer has done to us for the last few years.'
The main issue for them was being cited merely for riding a skateboard downtown. Some skateboarders have been slapped with $465 fines and had their skateboards taken away. Dowds said that's unfair when other forms of wheeled transportation, from rickshaws to baby strollers and bicycles, aren't subject to the same fine.
Some observers took the brothers' side, arguing that Simmons' tactics were heavy-handed.
Critics of the skateboarders pointed to the damage skateboards cause to city property by grinding benches, handrails and other surfaces.
Some said Corey Dowds deserved what he got for grinding the park bench. One caller told The Post and Courier that the officer's only mistake was in not using more force to subdue the young violator.
In addition to the internal review, police conducted a criminal investigation. Dowds, however, indicated he didn't want to seek assault charges against the officer, Mullen said.
Simmons joined the police department in 1998 as a parking enforcement officer and became a police officer the following year. She has no previous complaints on her record, Mullen said.
She was reassigned from the park last November as part of a department restructuring and now works in an administrative capacity. She began serving her suspension Thursday.
City Councilman James Lewis considered the punishment excessive and said the chief caved into pressure created by national attention.
'I think it's very harsh to suspend her for two weeks,' he said. 'I think she suffered enough from all the bad publicity she got from the press.'
Mullen said society grants police the power to use force 'and we have to make sure when we do that we do so appropriately' to maintain the public's trust.
The chief said he hopes the episode will lead to skateboarders and city officials working together to find ways to accommodate the sport in an appropriate setting, such as a skate park.
'Clearly,' Mullen said, 'we are not going to allow them to continue damaging public and private property.'
WTF was she thinking?
Charleston Post & Courier
Officer punished for shove
Policewoman's push propelled skateboarder over hedge and into spotlight
BY GLENN SMITH AND NOAH HAGLUND
The shove seen 'round the world has earned a Charleston police officer a 10-day suspension without pay, Police Chief Greg Mullen said Friday.
An internal investigation determined that Pfc. Willie Simmons, 49, used an unnecessary level of force when she pushed 19-year-old skateboarder Corey Dowds over a hedge in Waterfront Park several months ago, Mullen said.
By his own admission, Dowds knew he was violating the citywide ban on skateboarding at the time, Mullen said. But he posed no threat to Simmons, the chief said, and she had no reason to shove him over a bush.
Mullen said he found no malicious intent behind Simmons' actions. She had been a foot patrol officer in the park for several years and felt a strong connection to the place. She had seen the damage caused by skateboarders, and 'she allowed her emotions to take control' that day, he said.
Police said the incident happened between November 2005 and March 2006. Dowds wasn't injured and he filed no complaint that day. Simmons didn't cite Dowds and allowed him to leave with his board.
The confrontation might have been forgotten altogether had the skateboarder's brother, Cheyne Dowds
, not videotaped it and provided a copy to The Post and Courier. The video clip ignited a media frenzy, provoking strong opinions around the country as it played repeatedly on the Web and on television.
Last week, ABC flew the Dowds brothers to New York City to discuss the incident with anchor Diane Sawyer on 'Good Morning America.'
Cheyne Dowds said Friday that he never intended to get any police officers in trouble. He said he wanted to put a spotlight on how officers treat skateboarders.
'It's not the officer's fault, it's the city's,' he said. 'That officer was just doing what every other officer has done to us for the last few years.'
The main issue for them was being cited merely for riding a skateboard downtown. Some skateboarders have been slapped with $465 fines and had their skateboards taken away. Dowds said that's unfair when other forms of wheeled transportation, from rickshaws to baby strollers and bicycles, aren't subject to the same fine.
Some observers took the brothers' side, arguing that Simmons' tactics were heavy-handed.
Critics of the skateboarders pointed to the damage skateboards cause to city property by grinding benches, handrails and other surfaces.
Some said Corey Dowds deserved what he got for grinding the park bench. One caller told The Post and Courier that the officer's only mistake was in not using more force to subdue the young violator.
In addition to the internal review, police conducted a criminal investigation. Dowds, however, indicated he didn't want to seek assault charges against the officer, Mullen said.
Simmons joined the police department in 1998 as a parking enforcement officer and became a police officer the following year. She has no previous complaints on her record, Mullen said.
She was reassigned from the park last November as part of a department restructuring and now works in an administrative capacity. She began serving her suspension Thursday.
City Councilman James Lewis considered the punishment excessive and said the chief caved into pressure created by national attention.
'I think it's very harsh to suspend her for two weeks,' he said. 'I think she suffered enough from all the bad publicity she got from the press.'
Mullen said society grants police the power to use force 'and we have to make sure when we do that we do so appropriately' to maintain the public's trust.
The chief said he hopes the episode will lead to skateboarders and city officials working together to find ways to accommodate the sport in an appropriate setting, such as a skate park.
'Clearly,' Mullen said, 'we are not going to allow them to continue damaging public and private property.'