Vancouver Police Officers Support Fired Colleague They Stage Job Protests Over Incident In Which ‘Flash-Bang Grenade’ Hurt Girl

Sun., Dec. 14, 1997

Associated Press

City police have been quitting specialty and volunteer assignments to protest the firing of an officer who left “flash-bang grenades” in an abandoned apartment house.

One of the grenades, which are designed to distract suspects, later blew off the right hand of a 13-year-old girl.

Officer Al League said Thursday night his colleagues were resigning from the special weapons and tactics team, as instructors in firearms, unarmed defense and driving, as well as other specialty positions.

“The SWAT guys I’ve seen have said they resigned. To my best understanding, today we have a SWAT team in name only. There’s no members,” League said.

At a Vancouver Police Officers Guild meeting Thursday, about 75 members decided to take an action which League would not disclose, saying it would be revealed at a City Council meeting Monday night.

“From my own perspective, I have made a decision to resign as a field-training officer as a result of this,” said Howard Anderson, the newly elected union president. “It’s obvious to me the city will not indemnify you against an honest mistake.”

If ordered to return to the volunteer posts, officers will obey, League said.

The protest was triggered by the firing of officer Aaron Gibson, a SWAT trainer, and the 45-day suspension of officer Steve Neal by City Manager Vernon Stoner for leaving behind three flash-bang grenades, which are used to frighten, distract and disorient suspects, after a training session Aug. 1 at the vacant Liberty Park apartments.

Later, 13-year-old Leishell Booth got into the locked, boarded-up building by stepping on a bucket, climbing on a porch roof, swinging onto a tree and slipping through a second-floor window. She picked up one of the devices and it exploded, blowing off her right hand.

The dismissal and suspension have been appealed to binding arbitration.

Stoner also cut the annual pay of Police Chief Doug Maas by 5 percent for not having a written policy that required officers to account for the whereabouts of explosive devices.

Maas said he was contemplating a response to the protest.

“If I have officers who are unwilling to serve and accept responsibility, I’ll find others who are,” Maas said.

Mayor Royce Pollard said the city could ask for a SWAT team from the Clark County sheriff’s office or Portland, Ore., police in an emergency.

“This isn’t Los Angeles, where we would need a SWAT team,” Pollard said. “It was a nice feature for the community, and I believe the officers enjoyed it because it offered opportunities for good training.”

League predicted the discipline will be overturned in an upcoming decision by an outside arbitrator.

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