Community Comment

Compassion for all…

Posted by Dave

Dec. 2, 2009 9:07 a.m. • 15 comments

Good morning, Netizens…

I am not going to waste a lot of breath this morning, mourning the passage of Maurice Clemmons. There are enough facts in place to convince me he was the sole gunman who killed the four Lakewood Police Officers in a coffee shop and ultimately was killed by a Seattle Police officer.

There are several things about this tragic loss of human lives, however, which bear close scrutiny and further introspection. I am already sick to death of hearing the comparisons between the deaths of both the four police officers and Maurice Clemmons as having any association whatsoever with the death of Otto Zehm. The Zehm case stands as a travesty of justice, one which time perhaps will bring to closure. Unfortunately that remains to be seen. Zehm’s death created a huge rift in our community between our police and the public they serve. It created a credibility chasm which still is being resolved.

The killing of four Lakewood Police Officers was premeditated, calculated murder; nothing more, nothing less. Clemmons had bragged to his associates before-the-fact for them to watch the news, because he was going to kill some cops, and he did. If an alert, aware Seattle Police Officer had not been on guard, Clemmons might have claimed yet another victim.

Tiffany Ryan, who works in the Spokane Police Department records division, as the sister of slain Lakewood Police Officer Tina Griswold, became a bystander to chaos. I think this video, courtesy of the Spokesman-Review, speaks more eloquently about the heartbreak and sadness she is enduring than anything I could say.

http://www.spokesman.com/video/2009/nov/30/tiffany-ryan-speaks-about-loss-her-sister/

If you watch this video closely you will undoubtedly detect a note of emotional support and compassion between Chief Kirkpatrick and Tiffany Ryan, as is rightfully so. This wellspring of humanity between our Chief of Police and one of her own is a breath of fresh air, in my opinion, and needs to be extended to the general public who fall far outside her department in some cases.

We should not stop at the borders of the Police Department with compassion and understanding at all.

Dave

15 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

lewis8457 on December 02 at 9:20 a.m.
This was most certainly a tragedy in all sense of the word. But as you say you are sick of it and so am I.

But the picture is clear Zehm will never see justice in Spokane because he did not wear blue.

And sadly Dave I have lost faith in my police after being lied to time and time again so it makes it hard for me to believe what any policeman anywhere has to say.

And so it is…..

go ahead and delete the post
JeanieSpokane on December 02 at 9:30 a.m.
Lewis, I appreciate your candor and passion regarding the issues we are facing in Spokane. And your post is on topic and relevant to what Dave has expressed.

We have a lot of knitting to do here in our community.
Dave Laird on December 02 at 10:22 a.m.
Lewis, I too appreciate your candor regarding the issues we are facing. I also agree we have a lot of knitting to do here in Spokane.

Dave
Jeffrey_Grey on December 02 at 10:38 a.m.
Dave,

I agree with you. Trying to compare Clemmons to Zhem is trying to compare (rotten) apples to oranges.

The only valid, broad generalization I see coming from such an attempted comparison is that sometimes tragically bad things happen to good people.

I also agree that we do indeed have trouble right here in River City. I just don’t believe any meaningful insight into that trouble - either way - will be found in the tragic events of this weekend.
Fuschia on December 02 at 11:13 a.m.
I believe any knitting (healing) of the rift that exists between the citizenry and the SPD should begin with the SPD and the City of Spokane publically owning up to their responsibilities in so many of the escapades and trajedies, beginning with the Otto Zehm case.

We hold and allow SPD officers their law enforcement authority 24/7 in and out of uniform. So that when one of them commits even the simplest of infractions, that they are/should be held to the same standards as any citizenry. This did nto occur in the Jay Olsen, Thoma or many other cases. they were treated above the law, by the system and their peers. The reporting of public “hand pumping” by off duty (there is really no OFF duty Officer) officers at the Jay Olsen trial only sets an exacerbating proof to these public opinions.

We the citizenry of Spokane are held hostage to the whims of the Police Guild, which should be the other way around. Even when two honest police come forward to testify against their own, they are held in suspicion and ridicule. I dont see the Guild “policing” their own nor the Police policing their own, so we had to bow and scrape to get an Ombudsman Lite whom only can sit and watch the reports come and go w/out any separate independant investigatory powers. Sadly, transparency in the SPD stops at the badge.

We place the power of life and death in the hands of our public servants, we pay them well with the BEST benefits and retirement packages and until they are held directly responsible and accountable to those whom pay their salaries, there will be no healing of any rift. I cannot imagine a single SPD officer whom would want to work along side Karl Thompson while he earns his $90K+ plus job, getting a free public defender, living in a $400K house, all while awaiting trial for actions that occurred during the murder of Otto Zehm.

I hope that Chief Kirkpatrick, though somewhat powerless in the maze like disciplinary process, holds closed door one on one “leadership” lessons with the miscreants that she is unable to fire.

As a foot note, I noticed a lack of support by the SFD when one of their own was accused and aquitted of being a child pornographer due to a screw up by State Patrol investigators.

A police officer wears his badge 24/7/365. He swears an oath. He puts his backside on the line day in/day out. I also understand human fraility in any situation, however when an Officer purposely acts below the standards we expect of them, then its time to hold them openly responsible and not a non-published shadowy investigation. If one reads Sam Pailca’s white paper on the Spokane Ombudsman, they will realize the word Ombudsman is printed about 19 times and the word “oversight” occurs about 99 times. I dont think we got what we wanted and the experts recommended, we accepted second best with hopes for fullfillment during the Union/Guild negotiations.

The “rift” consists of being able to hold the SPD and its officers responsible and accountable with separate and independant investigations and authority along side with the Chief of Polices internal ones. One can only appreciate a glass house from the outside.
arliacne on December 02 at 11:30 a.m.
Hear, hear! Jeffrey!

lewis, I certainly agree with you. I like to think that people become members of the police force out of some desire to do good by others and to truly protect those who they have sworn to serve. I like to think that human nature will present the best in people who have chosen to accept our trust in their abilities to keep a watchful eye and make safe the community in which we have opted to live. I am afraid that the events this week are going to cause an even deeper rift between police and citizen - too bad, but there it is. Kirkpatrick even so much as directed her force to such.

Ozzie lives out by me and usually on Saturday or Sunday I see him jogging along our little dirt road. He seldom smiles nor waves as he passes, but with budget cuts he probably doesn’t have much to smile about these days. Doubt he will be out jogging on lonely dirt roads for a while. That, also, is too bad, but there it is.
JeanieSpokane on December 02 at 1:36 p.m.
Great avatar, arli!
Ron_the_Cop on December 02 at 2:19 p.m.
Dave,

Apples and Oranges. The issues in River City have nothing to do with the assassination/murder of these four officers. In my career we had six officers killed in the line of duty by firearms alone not to mention the others killed by other means in my department not to mention many more in surrounding jurisdictions. Folks can be critical of their police but for the most part they are dedicated people who are the thin blue line between order and chaos/anarchy.

Yes, there are issues with the Zehm case and other cases involving the Spokane Police Department. I’ve written about where my concerns lie:

Federal Civil Rights Indictment Returned in Otto Zehm Case - Spokane, WA

“[Zehm case] … This incident is only symptomatic of much deeper problems involving the responsibility/accountability of City officials and police administration as well as to what lengths they will go to conceal their mistakes from public scrutiny. It’s unfair to target only the officers involved without addressing the underlying issues involving City officials and police management for failure to set policy, procedure and provide adequate training in dealing with these circumstances. In my opinion Spokane government is dysfunctional at the highest levels.”

http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/?p=144

Folks reading here that have concerns regarding the death of Otto Zehm should look beyond this case. If folks want to effect change in our region then I would strongly support a recall of County Prosecutor Steve Tucker and/or I will actively campaign against him in next year’s election:

RPS fraud & new Idaho lawsuit & Cover up of manslaughter death of Jo Savage in RPS garage

http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/?p=176
Ron_the_Cop on December 02 at 3:05 p.m.
Dave I just posted this related comment in A Matter of Opinion re why Clemmons should have not been out on the street. I would be asking these questions.

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/opinio…

Charile,

You are quite right that the system failed here. There was no reason Clemmons should have been out of custody. First there were arrest warrants out of Arkansas that should have been served on him which would have prevented his release on bail:

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/412750_pierceco30.html

Secondly someone was asleep at the switch and should have caught his previous priors which should have jacked the “standard bail.” What I did in CA numerous times was to prepare declarations in support of bail increase to alert the arraigning judges on subjects we arrested before they were arraigned. Judges actually have little time to review these cases at arraignment hearings and must rely on court and screening personnel to catch these cases where the standard bail schedule that most courts have is inappropriate for public safety and/or to ensure the presence of the subject again in court.

We had a female officer almost killed during a botched robbery and was in a fight for her life. If it wasn’t for some bystanders who intervened she may have been killed. The problem was this guy should have never been on the street. We had arrested him twice before for non “strike” related felonies. He served minimal prison time each time and was released.

My gut feeling was this guy was hiding something. When I researched his criminal background I found he had four prior serious felony convictions in Nevada and Arizona that would have counted as strike offenses in CA. In CA the third felony conviction doesn’t have to be a serious felony as defined in the State’s penal code to invoke the “three strike” sentencing. We missed the opportunity to send him away not only once but twice before he assaulted and almost killed our officer.

Mr. Crooks always tries to deminish [sic] my investigative experience when I weigh in on certain taboo subjects in this blog. You can read this case in my professional vitae here:

RPS Officer Debra Foy Almost Killed by Three Strike Suspect
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/resume-2.pdf
Fixer on December 02 at 5:20 p.m.
The murder of these four police officers is a tragic event, and their families, friends and colleagues deserve support and compassion.

However, the association between Clemmons’ death and Otto Zehm is valid. I viewed the circumstances of Clemmons’ shooting with exceptional skepticism, exactly because of incidents like Otto Zehm’s death. I cannot count on the police department, any department, to properly investigate, inform and resolve any event in which an officer takes a life.

There are officers in SPD and elsewhere that possess individual integrity - I have had the honor to work wiith some of them. What I have yet to see is departmental integrity.
empyrius on December 02 at 7:17 p.m.
I have always had issues with law enforcement, other than me simply being an idiot and doing stupid stuff that would get me in trouble; but, I have had a police officer lie in court, under oath of course, just flat out lie, to get me convicted of something I in fact had not done. I have been the victim of police officers lying to other people, you know, the typical “he ratted you out”, to get us to turn on one another. And of course I have had officers lie directly to me, “come on, rat yourself out, we will show up in court on your behalf” . . .

But, I have also known many police officers that were great human beings. I used to play basketball at noon, quite a few years ago, with a gym full of cops, I mean they knew I was a drugger chump, but on the court, and off, we treated each other with respect and would talk to each other like human beings should talk.

You know, ex-cons who have stayed out of trouble for seven years should be involved in investigating, and implementing punishment, in matters of police misconduct! Seriously!

In closing:

What happened in Lakewood was nothing less than a horrific tragedy, and I pray that our Lord may abundantly give the families healing grace in this time of unbearable sorrow. I offer my heartfelt sympathy.

Peace
Uptight_Spokanite on December 02 at 8:09 p.m.
I agree with Dave … no comparison … in one situation you had innocent people in a public place enjoying purchased beverages, minding their own business, suddenly attacked and brutally murdered and in the other situation you had … erm … well …
hhuseland on December 02 at 9:49 p.m.
This is a difficult discussion to speak to. On the one hand, law enforcement sticks their collective necks on the line every day, and when they get it right, we never hear about it. That’s what they are supposed to do, right? Well, it isn’t that simple. First, cops have human emotions and can just as easily become victims to PTSD, mostly undiagnosed.

The Otto Zehm situation was where officers didn’t follow procedures and allowed their emotions to take control. It is natural for the Police guild to protect their own. I suspect that nationwide, their is a process that officers can get good legal representation when they error, or when it is assumed they are in error.

They problem is in the eyes of the beholder most of the time. Zehm excepted) Most officers do join law enforcement to help protect against the forces of evil. there are, however, those, and their numbers are growing, that have an excess of testosterone and are essentially bullies that have found a niche to practice their domination stuff. Hand authority to a dominate personality that likes to fight or push people around and you have the perfect home for them. A police department. Unfortunately, too few psychological tests are performed to weed these folks out. You see, in order to face the lawbreakers, they can’t be afraid of violence. it is a thin line. One that needs to be examined and re-examined.

For the Spokane Police guild to be able to block over site should be brought into court as a civil law suit. Justice can’t survive behind closed doors.

Here in Kootenai county, the past showed some of the same problems. bumping a suspect so they would bounce back?Resisting arrest. I saw much of that way back in my cab driving stint. In mny cases, the officers were having fun with out of control people. Those things no longer happen here. We have had a few bad apples, for sure. It only took a day or so for Chief Rocky Watson and Captain Ben Wolfinger to nail the bad apples and send them on their way.

The problem however remains. Not all departments have that kind of control over their troops. those that don’t need over site with teeth. That a union can control justice is dead wrong.
spokelooneh on December 02 at 11:14 p.m.
Herb, I read much of what you have written over the years, some good, some… that comment was one of your best ever. Well said, man.
richard on December 05 at 1:23 p.m.
Uptight strikes again! And again, with only a vague “handle” on reality. Shame on Uptight!