Smart Bombs: Fit to be hogtied

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick are hung up on the terminology that the media, emergency medical workers and, yes, police officers use when describing the practice of controlling a person by binding their hands and feet.

The term is “dehumanizing,” they say. So is the practice. So is Tasering. So are baton strikes. So are other techniques officers use to gain control. See the Otto Zehm videotape for a primer.

If the common term to describe it makes them wince, perhaps there’s a deeper problem.

Let’s go to the tape. It was surprising to learn that Kirkpatrick was surprised to learn that her detectives do not tape record witness interviews. She said that was a standard practice in Federal Way.

Taping witness interviews is a big topic in criminal justice circles. Recently, Jerry Miller became the 200th person to be exonerated by DNA evidence after spending 25 years in an Illinois prison for a rape he did not commit. About two-thirds of those convictions were based on eyewitness accounts, which often prove to be faulty.

Taping interviews protects the police against charges that witnesses are bullied, asked leading questions or otherwise coerced. Taping can also expose that.

In the case of Trent Yohe, who died after a scuffle with Spokane County deputies, a taped interview would provide valuable insight into the conflicting accounts offered by the only eyewitness.

Fresh air. It was clear on Thursday that law enforcement officials had planned to release only the first two interviews with Cecile Jones, the only civilian witness to the altercation between Yohe and deputies. In those interviews, she doesn’t indicate that officers used excessive force.

In an interview with The Spokesman-Review, she mentioned a deputy kicking Yohe and other damning details. She then repeats that version to law enforcement in a third interview.

When a reporter asked for that witness interview, Assistant City Attorney Rocco Treppiedi appeared eager to offer his usual advice: No way. But then a very un-Spokane-like thing happened. Here’s the account in Friday’s Spokesman-Review:

“Kirkpatrick stepped out into the hall and consulted with Treppiedi and two detectives. “I said, ‘Rocky, all I need to know is, is this going to jeopardize the integrity of the current investigation?’ All three of them said ‘no.’ So I said, ‘Redact it, and give it out,’ ” she said.

Makes we wonder what the usual standard is.

Shiver me timbers. Pressure isn’t finishing an editorial or column before deadline, or handling the subsequent objections from powerful complainers.

It’s remembering at the last minute that it’s “Dress Like a Pirate Day” at your kid’s school.