Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-08-1999 ArticlesLocal News - The Des Moilles Register http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/7927797.html IB Navigation: Headlines: Crime & Courts: Report Misconduct by police erodes ~ Sections By LYNN OKAMOTO More · Headlines · News Extras Register Staff Writer ~ Forum · Forums 06/01/1999 ~ Sites Allegations of police misconduct in Iowa and across · Sports the nation are adding to the growing mistrust of · Entertainmentlaw-enforcement officers. · Employment · Real Estate · Classifieds The most recent development came last week in New York, where a white police officer pleaded guilty to torturing a Haitian immigrant, Abner Louima, with a wooden stick. Capt. James O'Donnell, who teaches an ethics course to Des Moines police officers and recruits, said even though the case did not happen in Iowa, it affects public trust of police here, too. "Any unethical or corrupt act in any part of the United States or world is going to come back to this community," he said. "It's chipping away at us." Larry Carter of Des Moines, a national board member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said it is just political reality that people will tend to remember one negative incident more than a hundred positive ones. "When something like the Louima case in New York happens, then every case that happens in Des Moines or Iowa or Mississippi - they're going to say that this is another case like the Louima case," Carter said. A study by the U.S. Department of Justice shows that public trust in police officers has declined. The study of 100 Americans showed that in 1980, police officers were regarded as the fifth most trusted profession, ranking after pharmacists, clergy, firefighters and teachers. But by 1995, Americans ranked police 10th out of 12 professions, 1 of 4 6/1/99 8:52 AM Local News - The Des Moines Register http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/7927797.html ahead of only lawyers and politicians. Norwalk Middle School Principal Denny Wulf said that from now on, whenever a police officer is accused of a crime, it will remind residents of Sgt. Thomas Nolan, a Norwalk drug~education officer recently arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. "Every time something happens around the country that's similar .... I can hear it talked about again," Wulf said. "That brings back some conversation about our own officer." Abby Blanchard, an eighth-grade student at Norwalk Middle School, was among those who had Nolan as an instructor for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, commonly known as DARE. She said she was shocked by his arrest, especially since he was teaching youths not to use drugs. "I expect a police officer to be looking after the town or city and not getting into trouble," she said. Nolan was the second Iowa DARE officer to be arrested on a drug charge in recent years. In 1996, James Trimble - then a teacher, coach and drug-education officer with the Urbandale schools - was arrested and convicted for driving a van containing about $20,000 of methamphetamine stolen from police evidence lockers. "I was a very good police officer for 18 years," Trimble said. "I did wrong and I completely destroyed and I completely went against all my morals." Trimble said he recognizes how devastating his drug use and subsequent arrest were to the school, community and police department. "It's going to haunt me for the rest of my life," he said. "I just wish that people would let it go." Some of the anger, disappointment, shock and mockery seen after Trimble's arrest have been replayed this spring in Norwalk, following Nolan's arrest. A jingle mocking Nolan's alleged drug use has been played on the radio. Students have been hurt and visibly upset. 2 of 4 6/1/99 8:52AM Local News - The Des Moines Register htlp://w,,~nv.dmregister,com/news/stories/c4788993/7927797.html "The radio station ran it in good faith as a comedy piece," said Wulf, the school principal. "Not all of our students took it that way. It was such a serious situation for them, and it seemed like people were making fun of it." Wulf called the radio station explaining the students' feelings, and the station promptly stopped playing the song. Nolan has pleaded not guilty to possession of marijuana. He is suspended from the police department without pay while awaiting a trial scheduled for July. Police say if it is proven that officers have taken part in unethical conduct or illegal acts, they must be held accountable. "The best thing you can do as a police department is acknowledge the issue and take appropriate disciplinary action," said Urbandale Police Chief David Hamlin, who saw his department through the arrest of Officer Trimble. ""That in itself does a lot to maintain and garner public trust." But to some members of the public, allegations against individual officers confirm negative images about all of them "They smoke weed, they do drugs, but then they arrest us for it," said Tabitha Spurgin, 18, who said she was arrested five months ago while bringing 10 pounds of marijuana back from Mexico. "They're totally hypocrites and they're prejudicial." In Des Moines, some people have raised questions about the April death of Jerome Mozee, an unarmed man fatally shot by police officers Joseph Morgan and Terry Mitchell during a late-night foot chase on the city's south side. The case remains under investigation, but police officials have said they believe the officers acted properly. O'Donnell, the Des Moines police captain, said there is a huge difference between the Mozee case and the cases in New York, Urbandale or Norwalk. He said it would be "absolutely unfair" for people to compare the actions of the officers in those dissimilar incidents. 3 of 4 6/1/99 8:52 AM Local News - The Des Moines Register http://w3vw.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/7927797.html "There's nothing to indicate that they committed wrongful, corrupt or illegal acts," O'Donnell said of the Des Moines officers involved in the Mozee case. Mozee's relatives disagree. They have sued the city and the officers, accusing them of using excessive force against him. As in the New York case, Mozee's family claims the shooting was race-related, and they accused the city of encouraging policies and practices that target minorities. Mozee is black; the officers are white. "I think that you'll find that the average minority will not sympathize with police," said Carter, the NAACP board member, who claims that African-Americans have been abused and stopped by police just because of their race. Even af'rer cases where officers are proven to have acted improperly, Hamlin said he believes the public knows better than to conclude that all officers are bad. The same can be said for members of other professions, he said. "They all have a bad apple now and then," the Urbandale chief said. Trimble said people must understand that police officers are human. "I still consider myself a good person," he said. "I made a mistake." But O'Donnell said such missteps are not acceptable in law enforcement. "We're human. We make mistakes. But, by God, what is done by them is not reflective of what we expect of a police officer," he said. · Navigation: Headlines: Crime & Courts: Report Find more news every day in The Des Moines Register. Subscribe now. Copyright © 1999, The Des Moines Register. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service (updated 2/23/98). 4 of 4 6/1/99 8:52 AM 2 Johqson County Today, Iowa City, Iowa: Sun., May 23, 1999 Plan protects renters Landlords, tenants are prevented from using a person's learn ways to get involve~ criminal history as a basis for crime prevention. part of crime reduction program rent, you should be "There's a highly transient you should be punished for punished for other people's gopulation involved in drug er people's problems and I dealing," Hamblin said. to keep moving around," By Lynn M. Tefft problems and have to keep The second phase, which can said. IOWA CITY -- Would-be rent- moving around. ) 9 be time-consuming and costly One Coralville complex, ers have more options for safe depending on the size of the Scotch Pine Apartments, accommodations with the expan- Chuck slngleman, complex, involves design im- Sixth St.. completed the prog sion of a crime-reduction pro- Iowa ¢1t¥ pollc~ provements, such as outfitting last year. gram into Iowa City. all entry doors with deadbolts, "If we have as much luck, trimming bushes and enhancing the others as we had , The Crime Free Multi-Housing City have started the program, lighting. Scotch Pine~ we'll be d~ Program, billed as a kind of Singleman said. In Cedar Rap- Neighborhood Watch for the ids, similarly large complexes "It Is a big project in some great," DeBoer said. rental set, Was first offered by including Windsor on the River regards." said Brian DeBoer, the Measures to prevent cr the Coralvllle Police Department and Spring Park have begun the community re at OhS officer who along with the keen eye: to landlords the~e last year. training, heads the program for the Coral- tenants ready to rel~rt any yule PoUee Department~ "It's a see, are a necessary par~ The program combines tenant $1ngleman said that a rental f'manclal obligation." fighting crime, Singleman screening strategies with build- as small as a single-family home lng Improvements to promote qualifies for the program. Finally, landlords and police Officers can only do so m safer renkal living. , ' " ' " when they're called to res~ Landlords faust pass three ~rrange a safety social, to The program ~lso encourages phases to advertise' their rentals which-all complex, residents are to a specffic incident, he tenants to have a stake in keep- as part of Crhne Free Multi- invited.. This ewes people a "Everyone needs to be lng their' buildings safe. Renters Housing.' The Fa'st phase Is a chance :t° get to know each volved in crime prevention,' traditionally don't have the primer on how to more carefully '°~r, Stng~eman said, as well as said. same feeling of investment that ,screen potential tenants, Federal makes homeowllers protective of law prohibits landlords from their neighborhoods, ~ldChuck hying housing based orL. rac~ Sl~glem~u, Crime Prevention cl~ed, color, sex, natiortal Officer with the lows City Po- gin, religion, ancestry or disabil- lice Departy/lent. ity. "ff there's a problem (renters) In addition, City ordinances in don't like, they just move. We're Iowa City and Cedar Rapids ban Department to train apaVanent the program. Cedar Rapids po ce Sg~ Cris- lords have properties through- : l~ I>~ ~ I~.