Cleveland seeks outside probe of boy's shooting

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

CLEVELAND (AP) — The city is hoping to hand over the investigation of a 12-year-old boy's fatal shooting by police to an outside agency, as well as future investigations of all deadly use-of-force cases.

Michael McGrath, the city's safety director and its former police chief, has been in talks with Cuyahoga County officials for the sheriff's office to handle the inquiry, city spokesman Dan Ball told the Northeast Ohio Media Group for a story Thursday (http://bit.ly/13XxDZp).

"We would like a different, outside agency to handle all deadly use of force cases," Ball said.

For now, Cleveland police investigators are collecting evidence and conducting interviews related to the Nov. 22 shooting of Tamir Rice. The boy was carrying an airsoft gun that shoots nonlethal plastic pellets when a rookie officer shot him at a Cleveland playground.

FULL story at link.



Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150101/us-cleveland-police-shoot-boy-29fe3d1611.html

[GGJohn]

1. This is a good thing,

why would you have the fox investigating the theft of chickens?

[uppityperson]

2. Good, as they should because investigating yourself makes objectivity nearly impossible

[IphengeniaBlumgarten]

3. While this is an improvement...

Notice that the outside agency is still a law enforcement agency. Is this enough distance? I would like to see someone truly independent handling the investigation.

[mountain grammy]

4. Yes, for sure. I was thinking the same thing. It must be an investigator

far removed from the law enforcement arm of the system.

[BrotherIvan]

9. +1

I would like to see some sort of federal legislation that sets this up somehow too.

[Mr.Bill]

5. Probably shopping for an agency

with a larger Klan membership.

[JDDavis]

6. Cleveland isn't that far from Ontario, Canada

Have the Royal Canadian Mounted police investigate this.

Truly independent, and sends a strong international message about what to do with guns and cops.

[ncjustice80]

12. Thats brilliant!

Ive often said these abuses should be treated as human rights violations and the officers handed ovrr to the ICC for trial and punishment.

[JDDavis]

13. absolutely, they are violations of basic rights

all cop shootings of unarmed civilians should be investigated that way.

[GGJohn]

14. How can we hand over any American to the ICC when we're not even a member of the ICC?

Maybe a little bit of google next time?

[ncjustice80]

17. We should be. n/t

[Enthusiast]

7. I applaud them for doing the right thing.

Finally!

Now, they need to review their hiring practice.

[1step]

8. Good!

[ncjustice80]

10. I wonder if this means there is a chance the thug cop will be indicted???

[brett_jv]

11. I think the Rice case may be the perfect storm, as it were ...

Where a family gets to see justice, thankfully, for once. In this case, we HAVE the video ... and it's really just so shockingly egregious.

Plus, in this case we're talking about a 12 year old child ... damn near impossible to slander a 12 year old as they did with Trayvon and the other youngsters of color that we've seen gunned down by renegades the past couple of years ...

On top of that, the police department seems to be tacitly admitting that they messed up the hire of this particular officer and didn't do their due diligence ... which all adds up to me of a scenario where MAYBE, FINALLY the chips fall as they should in a case like this, and a devastated family is able to see actual JUSTICE meted out in the death of their child at the hands of trigger-happy police officers.

At least in this case, I'm prepared to cross my fingers, hold my breath, etc. And this news today about the panel does add to my confidence ...

[GGJohn]

15. And, more than likely,

a civil suit that the city won't contest with a BIG settlement.

[cynzke]

16. This is the Law in Wisconsin.......

thanks to the efforts of this man.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/08/what-i-did-after-police-killed-my-son-110038.html#.VKa_MivF_uI