To Protect and Serve

Allegations of excessive force on the force

Updated 4:50 PM PST, Fri, Nov 20, 2009

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Law enforcement has faced growing skepticism about their ability to keep the peace. In this editorial, we take a serious look at how police departments and city leaders across the Bay Area can effectively address allegations of abuse of power and help foster both officer accountability and public confidence.

Original Video: To Protect and Serve

Office of the Independent Police Auditor
(click on Archive Reports and Newsletters, 2007 & 2008 Year End Reports)

California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training

Homicide in California 2007 Report, California Department of Justice
(refer to tables 39-42)

San Jose Inside, Real Inclusion and Transparency in IPA
Selection Process

New America Media, San Jose Police Beating Stirs Distrust and Resentment
Commentary, Raj Jayadev, Posted: October 29, 2009

New American Media, San Jose Police Shooting Rocks Vietnamese Community Again
Commentary, Raj Jayadev, Posted: May 27, 2009

The Mercury News, Cops' attorneys: Officers in video did nothing wrong
by Sean Webby, Posted 10/26/2009

The Mercury News, Herhold: Phuong Ho interview offers key to beating case
by Scott Herhold, Posted 10/26/2009

First Published: Oct 30, 2009 5:32 PM PST

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0 Comments

{"totSize":9,"payload_type":"json","status":"1","results":[{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"391809_67804477","adminTags":null,"views":203,"createdBy":14026452,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"To Protect and Serve","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2619346,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"2 Nov 2009 16:49:29 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"m3l1s5a","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1167134","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"I am so fed up of hearing complaints about police using accessive force. They do exactly what they feel they need to do given the situation. They have family's to go home to at night and if they feel threatened, they're going to do something about it. It's so upsetting for me to listen to the constant complaining, when the police are there to protect you. I sat and listened to my husband take an oath to protect and serve, and to lay to down his own life if neccessary to accomplish that. Do you have any idea what that's like? And then to hear nothing but complaints from the very people who expect to be protected when they call? I'll tell you what...you don't like cops? Next time you're in trouble, call a crackhead."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"391809_67804477","adminTags":null,"views":203,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"To Protect and Serve","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2619346,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"2 Nov 2009 18:22:15 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1167807","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"I think the media needs to be more careful about properly reporting stories of alleged abuse. It seems as though anyone with an arrest record is being allowed to allege police brutality without a proper look at the circumstances surrounding their arrest. I've seen the San Jose Police Department in action and it is often the case that by simply doing their job -- for instance, breaking up a fight outside a downtown club -- they get harassed by the arrestee or even bystanders. They get kicked and punched and spat upon, which necessitates the use of force for their own protection. We ask them to do a thankless job for little pay, and -- these days -- an even smaller amount of respect. The media, by offering a very one-sided account of abuse allegations, irresponsibly adds fuel to the fire. And by further neglecting to report when and why allegations are determined to be unfounded and the use of force justified, the media is in effect walking away and letting that fire burn. "},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"391809_67804477","adminTags":null,"views":203,"createdBy":14059801,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"To Protect and Serve","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2619346,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"4 Nov 2009 03:19:59 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"ojezzii","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1179115","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Who would make a comment like m besides a policemans wife, police conspire to batter individuals all the time, police plant drugs all the time, police force give weman a choice of sex or arrest all the time, and there are alot of police on the San Jose police force that partisipate in radical racial groups, The code of silence is true and lived by %80 of the police, I think police need to be judged just like any one else because they should be held to a highier standard, and if they are with in the laws they protect then they should not sweat being investigated."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"391809_67804477","adminTags":null,"views":203,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"To Protect and Serve","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2619346,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"4 Nov 2009 08:07:01 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1180050","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"This editorial notes that San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley have civilian oversight, yet fails to acknowledge that these committees are catastrophic failures and monumental wastes of economic resources. The question is not whether or not a civilian committee can be implemented, but whether or not it is worthwhile. <br /><br />Every department maintains an internal affairs division; these civilian committees merely run parallel investigations but offer little in terms of perspective. They have no experience providing public safety services, nor do they maintain a true understanding of the law. Where else would we embrace the notion of having inexperienced, uniformed, and potentially biased outsiders come in and evaluate job-performance? It's an absurd proposition that provides a select few members of society with a soap box to stand on in order to tell the rest of the public how they -given the opportunity to Monday-morning quarterback a difficult situation - would do the job of a police officer. <br /><br />There is a system in place that works more than capably in maintaining the public trust. However, when that system fails to provide the immediate, over-the-top reaction the media seeks, there must be something wrong. Reporters should be more focused on providing the news and less on making it."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"391809_67804477","adminTags":null,"views":203,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"To Protect and Serve","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2619346,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"4 Nov 2009 17:56:07 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1183282","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"It's sad, but the SFPD has a lot of growing up to do. I am a lawyer in the city who was recently robbed. When I went to the police for help, not only did they accuse me of lying to them, but they told me I had two options: 1) be arrested or 2) run (and run as fast as I could). If this is how the SFPD treats crime victims, I can't imagine how criminals are treated."}],"error":"","totPages":2}