Supplemental Joint Appendix Volume V
Public Court Documents
1981
271 pages
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Case Files, Garner Working Files. Supplemental Joint Appendix Volume V, 1981. 99c8cae2-35a8-f011-bbd3-000d3a53d084. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/b3c782ba-54db-47bd-a4a3-0cc78dd3c1f6/supplemental-joint-appendix-volume-v. Accessed February 12, 2026.
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IN THE U N I T E D STATES C O U R T OF A P P E A L S
FO R TH E SIXTH C I R C U I T
NO. 81-5605
C L E A M T E E GARNER, et al.,
P l a i n t i f f - A p p e l l a n t ,
v s .
M E M P H I S P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T , et a l .,
D e f e n d a n t - A p p e l l e e s .
Ap p e a l from the U n i t e d States D i s t r i c t C o u r t for the
W e s t e r n D i s t r i c t of T e n n e s s e e
W e s t e r n D i v i s i o n
S U P P L E M E N T A L J O I N T A P P E N D I X
V O L U M E V Pages 1 6 1 4 - 1 8 9 1
J ACK G R E E N B E R G
J A M E S M. NABRIT, III
S T E V E N L. W I N T E R
Suite 2030
10 C o l u m b u s C i r c l e
N e w York, N e w York 10019
W A L T E R L. BAILEY, JR.
Suite 901, T e n o k e B u i l d i n g
161 J e f f e r s o n Av e n u e
M e m p h i s , T e n n e s s e e 38103
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C o u n s e l for P l a i n t i f f - A p p e l l a n t
INDEX
Page
B A L A N C E O F P L A I N T I F F S O F F E R O F PROOF,
PT. 14 E X C E R P T S T R I A L R E C O R D IN W I L E Y V.
P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T .............................
M E M P H I S
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LT. JOHN A. COLETTA
Range Officer
W/0 W. B. HART
ASSISTAfrr RANGE OFFICER
PTLH. L. B. GCCCH
Departmental A.mo»'er
W/0 R. P. FURR
Research & Statistics
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CHAPTEP V1J.1
12 TAIIGE RIOT SHOTGUIl
A. GRIEF HISTORY ANP EXPLANATIOM OF THE SHOTGUH.i
1. The modern shotqun used by police agencies today is the latest
development of the historical fowling piece of colonial days
and the blunderbuss of the puritans. The introduction of the
shotgun to law enforcement occurred during the early days of the
western peace officer and the Hells Fargo stage coach guard.
The superiority of this multi-projectile vjeapon was readily
recognized by these men whose duties were to enforce'tlic law
and protect life and property in an armed and lawless society.
The sliOtgun provided them with the extra fire power needed and
insured a higher degree of hit potential in combat situations.
2. The up-to-date version or off-spring of these older historic
weapons is the police shotgun, cormonly known in the police
service as the "riot' gun. Like its ancestors, the riot gun
is a smooth bore weapon, meaning the barrel does not contain
lands or grooves v/hich are found in rifle and pistol barrels.
Tlie weapon derives its name from the type of projectiles or
"shot" which are fired from it. These projectiles are offered
by ammunition manufacturers in various sizes ranging from one
single pellet, (called a rifled slug) .72 caliber in size, to
a very fine pellet containing over twenty-four hundred (2400)
minute separate lead particles.
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Our Depnrtrient is currently arr.ed v;ith the ncr'.ineton, ‘-’odel 073
p.iot Shotgun, which is equipped with a twenty (20) inch barrel and
bead type front sights. This firearm is a multipurpose weapon provid
ing the police officer with a short range "rifle" of excellent shocking
power when the rifled slug is used and a multi-shot weapon capable
of tiirowing a normal shot pattern v/hen buckshot is f'led. The modern
police shotgun may also be employed to project tear gas and grenades
with a fair degree of accuracy.
The shotgun is considered by metropolitan police firearms ex
perts as the ultimate and most versatile of weapons in the police
arsenal. Its "triple threat" characteristics - that of a rifle,
multi-shot weapon and tear gas projector is not available in other
weapons. Contrary to popular belief, the shotgun is a highly accurate
and safe weapon for use in police actions, particularly in urban
areas such as our department policies. It fires short range, medium
velocity, soft lead projectiles, which minimizes the distance traveled,
richochet potential and penetration.
Many people, police officers included, are under the false impression
that shotgun projectiles come out of the muzzle in a spray witliout
direction. Shot dispersal may be best explained visually by using a
large sheet of wrapping paper rolled up into a tight cone and placed
in the diameter of the cone. However, it must be remembered tliat
pellets fired from a shotgun v/ill cluster together as they leave the
muzzle and will not start to separate to any great degree until the
shot charne is about three (3) to five (5) feet from the m:uzzle. At
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the point of separation, tlie pellets v.’ill begin their cone type
fligiit, extending in area as the distance fron the ri'jzzle becomes
greater. Police officers who have occasion to use different size
shot charges may be guided by a general rule of thumb in evaluating
.shot dispersal area and effective range - "the smaller the shot size,
the greater dispersal and less effective range".
SHOTGUN AMMUNITION
The use of the rifled slug by police agencies is a fairly recent
innovation, but shot type shells have been used in law enforcement
for a great many years. Tlie most common size shells used by these
agencies are the rifled slug and 00 buck shot.
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D. The rifled slug is a single lead pellet of approximately .72 caliber
which means it is nearly twice the diameter of our service bullet.
The projectile is so named because it has si-iulated rifle lands and
groove marks on its base. It leaves the muzzle at IGOO feet per
second, nearly tv/ice the speed of our target load. The average marks
man shooting from seventy-five (75) yards, using our issue weapon,
can keep all hits within a ten (10) inch circle. At fifty (50)
yards all slugs shot can be confined to a six (G) inch group. Uliile
this is not considered pin point rifle accuracy by any stretch of
the imagination, it is sufficiently accurate for police needs in urban
areas and far superior to the average marksman's capabilities with a
pistol.
1. The rifle slug projectile has tremendous power, yet it is about
the safest type of police "rifle" to use in densely populated
areas. Its initial penetrating ability is good, and at 100 feet
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Trie slug will penetrate a rr.etal apartncnt house type door,
autcr.iouilc door, rear trunk door and seat of an auton-obile,
plastered interior vralls, and v/ill smash tiie hinges and Incko
off a nctal apartment door with three (3) v;ell placed shots.
Yet after the initial hit, the rifled slug quickly loses its
penetrating ability. This much desired characteristic results
from the construction of the slug design. The soft alloy,
hollow base projectile distorts or flattens out readily after
initial penetration. Such distortion causes resistance to
further fliglit and penetration. The large size projectile
driven at a medium speed also continues to its lack of deep
penetration.
1, The most common size shot used for general police duty is 30
buckshot. This shotchell contains nine (9) lead balls, each
approximately .33 caliber in size. When used as an anti
personnel v/eapon the shotgun 'with CO buckshot is a sure hitter
and an effective man stopper compared witli other police firearms.
At close ranges no other police arm matches its shocking power.
The shotgun has a distinct advantage over other v.'capons -- it
need only be pointed and not be precisely aimed. In police
.• situations, such as a rapidly moving target, or when there is
no time to sight, nor sufficient lighting to sigiit properly,
the shotgun with its high shocking potential , shows its super
iority. Its fire power when fully loaded compares favorably
with five .32 caliber revolvers.
3. At close range (25) feet the shot charge of 00 buchshot will
smash through the side of a car door and penetrate a silnouette
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insi''’9 tiiR car. I* will penetrate a "letai a,.arui'eiu. i.o .jj. j '-., 1_
ilncr. It . . i l l also jcnetrate t'lc rear true;. .Inor of aa ..uto. e..i l e ,
"t six (b) foet tiio sact charge can tear a loch off a ;ifiavy
apartment iiotise steel door, and '.’ita t’./o more '.011 ; lac:;d s.'in̂,s
at t!ie same distance carry av;ay tae ainnes and t.ie doer itseli./
‘.dien using X buckshot as mentioned before, the shot aattorn
(spread of pellets) becomes nreatc'" as the distance from tl'O
target increases, -.'ith X buckshot, all pellets will rc'iain
a four inch, circle vjlien tac weapon is rirO': from seven ,/..rds.
■tt 13 vards tiie pattern extends to all Si'iot wita.ip. a ten (1‘;
inca circle - at twenty-five (2b) yards, all saot remains ..it,,in
a fifteen (13) inch group, an.d at forty y.ards(t,'ie max’.nun
effective range) ’eight, of tiic nine pellets will i)C confines in
a thirty (30) inch circle.
F. kiJCnLOTFr: 'J3t3 CF the SliCTF.Uh
T:ie shetoun, lil:e the sub-macliin.e gun, has a d i s t i n c t psyciiologice i
e f fec t on persons w!;o believe i t may be used a^iainst L.ien. Toe
nuzzle of tb.is weapon \<hen viei/cd in tlie 'lands of a police o f f ice r
resembles the entrance to tiie (iolland Tunnel. Tin's psycnolcnical
e f fec t can be used in many instances to great advantaee wit:,out
need for tiie actual f i r ing of the i.’capon. ‘‘any peo’ple , nunters ,
sportsixen, forrser i i i l i t a r y personnel as '-.'cll a s , i . . ' . and movie
vie.;ers of western shows are ai/.ire of tl.e encompassing and devaoua„-
inr e f fe c t of a snetgun b la s t . The use of th is weapon as a 'bn fie ' .
a mult i-shot weapon and a tear gas projector may be ns-ed in a. variety
of |)olice s i tua t ions :
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Riot Control
Seiges of uarricaded Criminals
Stake-outs, whore armed felons are awaited
Gurading of Political Dignitaries
Guarding 'iaterial v/ittnesses'
Road Blocks
Guarding Bank Transfers, Art treasurosliipment, etc.
Security of vital installations.
General police duties where needed
It is true that shotgun projectiles use their energy up quite quickly,
but it must be remembered that they have considerable range. To make
some type of understandable comparison as to maximum ranee of flight
(with nun held up at a 30 degree angle of fire) beti/een shotgun project
iles and other commonly known bullets the following list is submitted:
CALIBER
30.06 Springfield
.30 Special (158 gr, service)
.22 Long Rifle
12 gauge, rifled slug
12 gauge, CO buckshot
12 gauge, t̂4 buckshot
12 gauge, #8 shot
'lAXinUM RANGE OF PROJECTILES
4,500 yards
1 ,800 yards
1 ,500 yards
SCO yards
600 yards
500 yards
200 yards
While these maximum ranges are not effective operating ranges, it is possible
for a person to be struck with a projectile at these extreme distances. Whether
such person would be seriously injured at such range is a matter of_supposition.
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F. - Use of shotgun by :nernber of the force requires utrost discipline
in tiieir care and er-plojcrent. Its use nmst always be considered a
deadly force and as such may be employed ONLY v.'hen necessary and
justifiable in:
1. Defense of one's life or the life of another.
2. Preventing a felony or retaking an escaping felo'’. '.«hile tiie
slintgun may be used in demonstrating a show of force, it si'.ould
never be fired tactically as a "scare" vveapon. The firing of
light loads (bird shot) into disorderly groups with the intention
of dispersing the participants is not reconnended. bird siiot
fired at close range (7 yards) is as deadly and will kill as
quickly as CO buckshot. At forty yards it will penetrate the
skin, and may deliver a mortal wound if the eye is struck or
a pellet enters the nasal or ear openings. Shotguns are tl'.e
ultimate force in the police arsenal and the final stage in tne
escallation of the use of force in police actions. Therefore,
tile use of those firearms should be limited as a final action
after all other means have been exhausted, and no other alter
native is available to tlie police.
0. '’ETHOD FOR VISUAL lilSPECTION ANO OFEP.ATIOil CHECK OF TiiE POLICE SfiCThUN
1. VISUAL AND OPERATION CHECK
Each officer should be familiar with the proper metliod of field
stripping the Remington, model 370 shotgun as v;ell as, applying
a visual clieck to make certain it is in operable condition.
To make proper visual check, one must start with an open
action and t!ie safety on. .First make sure the safety is nn
(pushed tov.'ard the loading and ejection part side) tiien push r . ) |
the fore end to the rear, l.'.hen tlic shotgun is cocked it will
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DEPARTMENT OF POLICE
CITY OF MEMPPIIS, TENNESSEE
Dedicated To Better Law Eiiforccmcnt
1 9 6 1
- Henry Loeb, III -
Mayor and Commissioner of Administration and Health
■ - Claude A. Armour -
Vice - Mayor and Commissioner of Fire and Police
- John T. Dwyer -
Commissioner of Public Seiwice
- James W. Moore -
Commissioner of Finance and Institutions
- William W. Farris -
Commissioner of Riblic Works
- James C. Macdonald -
Chief of Police
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; FOREWORD
A police organization is Uie arm of government charged
with the responsibility of enforcing laws and ordinances passed
by elected representatives of the people.
Tlie letter of the law determines what a police officer must
do to discharge the obligation imposed by his oath, but It
does not encompass all of the ramifications which arise in tlie
course of putting these written principles into practical ajiplica-
tion.
Understanding of human behavior and application of
common sense are fundamental to tire successful attainment
of police objectives, lliese alone, however, are not sufficient
to insure the proper handling of eveiy incident. There must
be standards of quality, rules for procedure, and regulations of
conduct to serve as guides. Tliese standards, rules and regmla-
lions are set fortli in this Manual.
Tills Manual and the fOe of General Orders and Civil
Service Rules and Regulations shall determine tlie manner in
which members of the Memphis Police Department wUl con
duct themselves and cany out tlieir sworn obligations. Viola
tions of provisions of this Manual, the General Order file,
and the Civil Service Rules & Regulations wUl constitute
grounds for disciplinary action.
Future revisions or additions will become a part oftliis
Manual, and will have equal force and effect. Nothing herein
should be construed or interpreted as superseding tlie Civil
Service Rules & Regulations.
Claude A. Armour
Commissioner of Fire & Police
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J. C. Macdonald
Chief of Police
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4.041 Members of the li artment will not wear identifiable
parts of uniform clothing with civilian dress at any time,
4.045 Every rnembcr of the Department, when dressed in
uniform, shall wear tire insignia of his rank.
4.049 Members of the Department shall not wear on their
uniforms any insignia of a fraternal organization or associa
tion. Pins or insignia, denoting contribution to charitable
organizations, may be worn on the uniform for the duration
of the solicitation campaign. Authorized insignia for service
or achievement in the Police Division may be worn.
4.053 Every member of the force shall, at all times, carry
his badge, identification card, and an approved firearm.
4.057 Approved firearms will be a .38 caliber Smith &
We.sson or Colt Ilevolver of the type that fires .38 Special
ammunition, nae revolver must not be altered insofar as
the mechanical function of Uie weapon is concerned.
4.061 Every member shall be proficient in the use of his
firearm and such other firearms as may be required by the
Department.
4.065 Members of the force, carrying personal radios
designed to receive police broadcasts, will so inform their
superior officers.
4.069 Every member, reporting for duty, shall acquaini
himself with events that have taken place since the beginning
of his last tour of duty.
4.073 A member of the Department shall not, under any
circumstances, be absent from duty without first obtaining
permission.
4.077 A member of the Department may be granted a leave
of absence by his commanding officer incases of emergency,
sickness, or funerals in the family, prior to official approval.
An application for leave must be executed in every case.
•1.081 Members w' do not understand an official duty
.shall read written directives authorized by the Chief of
Police or consult their superior officers.
•1.085 A member of the Department shall, at all times,
respond promptly and in a safe manner to radio calls. He
shall, as soon as practicable, notify his unit of action taken
and make himself available for further service.
•1.089 A member shall keep himself available for service
daring those times and at those places where his presence
will have the greatest effect on current crime and traffic con
ditions.
-1.093 A member shall not knowingly include in any De
partment record or report a false, inaccurate or misleading
entry.
-1.097 A member of the Department shall not remove anj'
(iffieial record or report from any file or take any official
record from tlie office where it is kept except in Uic per
formance of his duties, in accordance with due process of
law, or witlr permission of the officer in charge.
•1.101 A member of the Department shall not file claims f<jr
damages or make any legal compromise with any person
without first notifying the Department.
‘1.105 A member of the Department shall not operate any
police equipment unless he is qualified and authorized to do
so.
•I. 109 A member shall immediately report to his command- •
ing officer any arrests or court actions instituted against him.
•1.113 No member of the Department shall intentionally fire
any weapon except as authorized by law.
■1.117 No member shall use any Department real estate,
equipment, or vehicle for purely personal business.
•I.r.21 Members of the Department shall be responsible for
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Ihe care of Department proi^ y of every description and
the prompt reporting of loss, oainage, or defect.
4.125 A member of the Department shall not permit any
person to remain in a police building or vehicle unless tlie
person’s presence is requisite to the conduct of official busi
ness.
4.129 A member of the Department shall operate a Depart
ment vehicle in such a manner as to avoid injury to persons
or damage to property. He shall, before use, examine any
Department vehicle assigned to him, and report unrecorded
damage or operational defects to his supervisor and make
necessary reports. Failure to report damage or defect will
create tlie presumption that no inspection was made. He shall
park his vehicle in such fashion as to cause tlie least inter-
feience with traffic flow except when emergency requires
otherwise.
4.133 Members assigned to operate police vehicles shall be
responsible for the cleanliness of such vehicles.
4.137 Members of the Department, occupying vehicles or
conducting a police function with the vehicle under effective
control, shall keep the radio equipment turned on.
4.141 When hvo or more members of equal rank are simul-
taneously employed in the same operation, the senior mem
ber shall be in charge, except when oUierwise ordered.
4.145 Members of the force, entering a place of Divine
Worship, shall remove the cap and place it neatly under the
left arm.
4.149 A member of the force, reporting to a superior in his
office, will maintain a respectful bearing. When desiring an
audience witli a superior officer other tlian his commanding
officer, he sliall request permission for the audience from his
commanding officer.
4.153 Members of tlie force, when required to hand salute.
shall do so, raising the ;ht hand smartly until the tip of
the forefinger touches Die peak of the cap or forehead above
and slightly to tlie right of the right eye. The thumb and
fingers will be extended and joined palms down, tlie upper
arm horizontal, the forearm inclined at a 45 degree angle,
with the hand and wrist straight. Salutes will be rendered
from the position of "attention" at all limes with tlie head and
body erect, chest lifted and arclied, shoulders squared and
thrown back.
■J.157 Members of the force carrying or armed with the
baton wUl first shift it into the left hand or place it under the
left armpit before saluting.
•1.161 Members of the force in uniform will not recognize
or address a detective or call attention to his presence unless
first addressed by him.
•1.165 Commissioned and non-commissioned officers will be
addressed by tlieir correct title and name at all times.
•1.169 Wfiien tlie National Anthem is played out of doors,
members of tlie force in uniform will face tlie colors, assume
the position of "attention" and execute the hand saiute until
the Antliem is completed. If the music ispiayed indoors, face
tlie music, and execute Uie hand salute.
•1.173 Upon the approach of the National Colors, members
of the force will assume tlie position of "attention" and execute
the hand salute or present arms. Tlie maneuver will be
executed when the flag is six paces away. Only the colors at
the head of eacli division of a parade will be saluted.
•1.177 Unless engaged in police duties requiring direct atten
tion, members of the force will salute the National Colors as
tlicy pass or when carried into any building or room.
•t. 161 Following are exceptions to rules for saluting:
a. Never salute while in a marching or parade
formation. 'Die officer in charge will call "atten
tion" and salute;
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■ -:J' X e M 5niilii5 -■■that’ these skills may take .-nany years
to.^eveioo.'to- a high degree of expertness, the basic
oousse.ias, -as "its obieotiv.; to introdiice the new
Police officer'to the f-cndaioentai approaches to be
used in frequently met situations including:
Questioning witnesses
Interrogating suspects and subjects
Writing
Signing and witnessing written statanients
Verbal admissions
Importance of physical surroundings
̂Mental attitudes
Avoiding duress
Mcuntenance of logs and other devices to esrablisr.
validity and admissibility
W . 35.5(2)15 The Patrol Function:
Techniques of effective patrol are of particular im
portance to new officers, most of whom are initially
assigned to patrol in vehicles or on foot.
Typical situations, both routine and emergency, as
met on patrol duty, are discussed, with appropriate
action to be taken.
Importance of alertness, good judgment and self control.
Use of personal notebook; communications -with head
quarters varying patrol routines for effective cover
age.
110.35.5(2)17 Firearms:
I Because of the serious implications of training re
lating to the personal safety of police officers and
civilians and in view of the nature of the liability
on the municipality for adequate training of police
officers in the handling and use of firearms, t.nis
instruction is deemed of utmost importance.
Under qualified instruction each trainee shall be
■ given instruction in such matters as safety rules
and the use of good judgment in the handling of fire
arms, fundamentals of shooting in a variety of situ
ations- and shall be given actual range practice in
the firing of a service weapon with specific standards
for qualifying in this part of the course.
1*0.35.5(2)18 Defensive Tactics:
In this part of the course the trainee learns som.e of
the skills of self defense as a safeguard against
hazards of physical violence in police work.
■ Taught by the method of deraons-tration and partici
pation, such ma-tters are included as:
Disarming techniques
Fundamentals of judo
Use of the baton as a defensive weapons
Come-along holds, etc.
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̂ ̂"3 ;̂ |i-- Corrected March 7, 1957
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80.11(5) Search:
Men- Fingertip search for weapon evidence.
Women- Hand bag, pockets of cuter clothing. A thorough searcn
will be made by the Matron on arrival at Headquarters. Keep fe
male prisoners under constant observation and security until this
search can be made by the Matron.
80.11(6) VJhen Resistance to Arrest Occurs:
The vast majority of persons will submit to an arrest, however,
some will not. Against those that resist, the law gives an of
ficer the power, and he is equipped with the devices to effect
the arrest and restrain them.
The law, however, does not expect nor will it tolerate the abuse
of its powers or the use of devices beyond that which is reason
able to effect an arrest. The law gives an Officer the right tc
use. force or devices dangerous to hu.man life, only in self-uefanse.
or the arrest of a Felon, h'ever in misdemeanors. and the caking of
life is justified only in cases of extreme necessity-.
80.11(5)1 Devices:
Shotgtn
Night Stick
Handcuffs
Revolver
Physical contact, restraining holds. Judo, etc."
80.11(7) When arrests are made in a residence for gambling or the sale of
intoxicants, the resident will be charged with OrERATE.'G A DIS
ORDERLY HOUSE, (Sec. 7d3) , if he or she had knowledge of the
violation during its commission regardless of his or her partici
pation in the violation.
80.11(8) Once the Arrest is Effected: All persons arrested will be fransoorced
by the Police Vehicle to the Detention Section as quickly as the
matter will allow.
80.11(8)1 Transporting:
Squad Car- In rear seat. One officer will ride in the rear seat
with the Arrested Person/s to assure constant obsem'ation'.
Patrol Wagon- Locked Enclosure. No Juvenile will be trans
ported by Patrol Wagon. Women may be transported by Patrol Ka.gon
at the discretion of the arresting officers. Women and man will
not he transported together in the Patrol Wagon.
80.11(8)1(1) Exception:
Males and Females arrested together for participation in
gambling parties or other group gatherings of a similar
nature may be transported together by Patrol Wagon at
the discretion of the Arresting Officers.
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" .| '__;. JO.<l.Q -PTS7:>VS''-BT Poriicn ■TEHgQ̂ JNEL
80.21.x Refer-;nc°: '̂ ■113'.- :-Ur.ulL of Rules a.’-.d RaT-il sr-rons •
Employees ci r.uis De?aro.ner.a wno either acciaeursliy or ourposoi-
while on d u ^ or off dur̂ /, fire their ser'/ios pistol, or'any ' ' ’
other^pe lireara, wi.U file a report in writing with their oorm.^nd-
ing orxicer, tellxng of the circujzstances surrounding firin*’’
This does not include training or any other organized coiroetitivc firing*
k-
1C30 0 0 0 . 3 1 1 )
U ̂ - --^-a Via (w'-wu- - U '_' 1. NJ i '-Ji'-a J t. ..^J y,
A L L COMMANDING OFFICERS «
FROM: CHIEF HENRY E. LU X
DATE: July 7, 1969
SUBJECT: WARNING SHOTS
GENERAL ORDER fIG 69-831
E ffec tive th is date, o fficers o f the M em phis Police D epartm evi w ill not d ischarge
f ir e a r m s fo r the purpose o f f ir in g ivarning s h o ts .
Section 4 .113 o f the Manual o f R u les and Regulations sta tes: "No M em ber o f N e
D epartm ent shall inientionally f i r e any weapon except as authorized by law. " G enerally
thi fir in g o f a weapon constitu tes the use o f deadly fo rc e . Deadly fo rc e should l e used
only when necessary to e ffect the a rrest o f a feloyi, prevent the com m ission o f a fe lony
or when n ecessa ry in s e l f defense. ______ __
T h is prohibition against the f ir in g o f warnbig shots is made in o rder to avoid any hazard
to the life and property o f innocerd persons and to avoid crim ina l or c iv il liab ility on
the part o f the o ffice rs .
Y our attention is also called to Section 80.21. 5(1) o f the Policy and Procedure
Manual. "Em ployees o f th is depaH m ent on or o f f duty, who accidentally or purposely
f i r e th e ir se rv ic e revo lver or o ther type f ir e a r m w ill m ake a ivritten repoid to th e ir
Commanding O fficer advisbig him o f the c ircum stances surrounding the firi)Tg. T h is
—does not include f ir e a r m s training or o ther orgayiized com petition f i r in g .
H enry E . L ilx
Ch ie f o f Police
W. E l Rondt, A s s t . C h ie f
S ta ff S erv ices D ivision
s
16' Ô JL 00 03.VO
( /
ExhiU iT
In answer to questions concerning the action of the members of
the Memphis Police Department la st night, I can only say that from the
Information that has been furnished to m*,e up to this point, it would appear
that action taken by tlYe Police Department was in line with both previous
policy and in line with any future policy that may be developed.
I am not able to go into the facts of the matter in their entirety
until the matter has been more thoroughly investigated and presented to
the Grand Jury.
In view of the la test situation involving the use of extreme
force, we all agree that an interim policy should be devised by the
administration of the P olice Department at the earliest p ossib le time,
hopefu lly that they would draw some guidelines in the use o f weapons
affecting the protection of the c itizen s of this- c ity .
I plan to get with C hief Price and members o f our lega l staff
and draw up some interim gu idelines, subject to comment and review , as
soon a s p o ssib le . •
Statement o f Mayor Wyeth Chandler
January 19, 1972 , 2:00 P .M .
1 r 'X O
0003,21
^foiiT
■ -Z----13
-I _l''-_'Tlly >.̂ O
Ẑ‘|ĝ j.'vcat3̂ '̂ y
C I T Y O F ^ e :h ? h \ s
1 N T E R - O F F I C E
iV-; E M O R A N D U M
C
TO: a l l p e r s o n n e l
F I E L D & STAFF OPERATIONS
FROM: C HIEF B I L L PRICE
DATE: January 20, 1972
SUBJECT: "USE OF FIREARiMS"
O r d e r 0-72-6
I. PTJRPOSE - The p u r p o s e of this d e p a r tmental o rder is to define
the circumstances u n d e r w h i c h deadly force and n o n - d e a d l y force m a y be
used to p r e v e n t an offense fro m being com m i t t e d and to effect an arrest.
As used in this order, D E A D L Y F ORCE means force c alculated to cause
serious p h y s i c a l injury or death. N O N - D E A D L Y F ORCE is any o ther p h y s i
cal force including the use of the night stick and c h e m i c a l mace or
similar v^eapons,
II. PRO C E D U R E - The discharge o f a n y f i r e a r m b y po l i c e per s o n n e l
a c c i d e n t a l or i ntentional w i l l be reported by letter to the commanding
o f f i c e r as soon as p o s s i b l e a f t e r such discharge, w h e t h e r it be on duty
or off duty. A c o p y o f this letter shall be sent to the Chief of Police,
Chief of F ield and Staff Operations, Internal Affairs Bureau, and the
Firing Range.
In the event of an in j u r y o r death, the offi c e r involved will
n o t i f y his comma n d i n g o f f i c e r immediately. It shall be the responsibility
o f the c o mmanding o f f i c e r to n o t i f y i m m e d i a t e l y the Homicide Bureau and
the Internal Affairs Bureau. The comma n d i n g o f f i c e r shall secure the
scene.
The o f f i c e r i n v olved wil l report to the Police Range within
three days, unless health prevents it, for the purpose of being inter-
ICCJ ■ 000322
viewed as to the circumstances o f the discharge. This p o l i c y applies
only to the discharge of firearms covered b y this order.
Page 2 - "USE OF FIREAK4S"
I I I . n o n - D E A D L Y P'ORCE - A n offi c e r m a y use n on-deadly force which is
reasonably nec e s s a r y to effect an arrest o r prev e n t o r attempting to p r e
vent the escape from cust o d y o f a p e r s o n vrhom he reasonably believes to
have committed an offense; reasonable force may be used to the extent tiiat
the officer reas o n a b l y believes such to be n e c e s s a r y to defend himself or
a third p e r s o n from what he r easonably believes to be the use or imminent
use b y the suspect of n o n - d e a d l y p h y s i c a l force.
r v . DE A D L Y FORCE - D e a d l y force m a y be u s e d v/hen after an officer has
t
exhausted all other reasonable means to a p prehend or otherv/ise prevent
the commission of a n offense and;
A. 1) It is in defense of himself from death o r serious bodily
injury when attacked or,
2) It is in the defense of a n o t h e r per s o n f rom death or
serious b o d i l y injury when attacked or,
3) There is a substantial risk that the p e r s o n whose arrest
is sought w ill cause death o r serious bo d i l y harm if his
a p p r e hension is delayed.
B. The offense c o m mitted o r b eing co m m i t t e d b y the suspect is:
1) A felony o r an attempt to commit a felony involving the
use or a t tempted uae o r t h reatened imminent use of p h y s i
cal force against an y p e r s o n or,
2) Kidnapping, m u r d e r in the first o r second degree, voluntary
manslaughter, arson, a rson involving the use of firebombs,
rape, assault and batt e r y w ith intent to c a r nally knov; a
c hild u n d e r twelve years of age, assault and battery with
intent to commit rape, b u r g l a r y in the first, second or
third degree, grand larceny, assault to commit m u r d e r in
the first o r second degree, assault to commit voluntary
manslaughter, armed robbery, robbery, or an y attempt to
commit suc h crimes.
C. The offense c o mmitted o r attempted by the suspect is a felony
and in the course of resisting arrest or a ttempting to escape
from cust o d y the p e r s o n is armed with a firearm or o ther deadly
w e a p o n or the officer r e a s o n a b l y believes the suspect to be
armed w i t h a firearm o r o ther deadly v/eapon.
16 O0* X 000323
Page 3 - "USS OF FIREAPiMS"
V. FIREAPi^S - Firearms shall not be discharged:
A. As warning shots; or
B. From a moving vehicle or to stop a fleeing vehicle except as
p r o v i d e d for in Paragraph IV; or
C. The officer does not have a clear field of fire and cannot be
r e asonably certain that the suspect will be hit and the p o t e n
tial for harm to innocent bystanders or their p r o perty is
great.
*
VI. Deadly force shall not be used in the follov/ing circumstances:
A. To effect an a r rest-of a n y p e r s o n for any m i s d e m e a n o r ofi'ense;
B. To effect an arrest of a n y p e r s o n for escape from the commissio.r.
of an y m i s d e m e a n o r offense.
-
B I L L PRICE
C H I E F O F POLICE
16̂ 0003a‘i
________ -
^ iMmm*.»i iflF\*9srjPiLsrmBvr^
I ;.i h
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*?f!3 £jnih^.'r3 ~~~''
aorz^j
.is ĵfosssssatti^
-ww%« n fn
___ •/ 7
DATC. 5 February 1974
fSJUMDEP' 5~7A *~ ̂ ”“
subject: use of firearms M U DEADLY FORCE
1 . PURPOSE. • '«. _. ..
̂ ' I. j I ncftm Y '^nPf'F and RON ■‘DEADLY
e f f e c t a n a r r e s t . .• ^*
RACKGROUnO.
a . npf^nltlons.ut: I I II I ■. ■ w
. . ncaniY FORCE m^ans the d i s charge of
, „ ? L ™ f o r " t h r u s r o f f o r c e by o th e r . e a n s c e ’. c u U t e d to _
I n f l i c t s e r i o u s b od i ly Injury or e
, " ° ^ l f h f r t l " " S - r ? t ^ n e r ’'werpon:'ort''calcJirtrd°S:; Intln^ed
’t S S n f u f t M r 1 o 5 s ° b o d 1 1 y Injury or deat h .
b. AppTI c abn i t y , .
The procedures de f i ned In t h i s o^der apply to the use o f
f i rearms under the f o l l o w i n g c i r c u ms t a n c e s .
( 1) s i t u a t i o n s ];;' '°J^’ ! ; ? „ f o f “d u t r i n v o ? v l n g ■ ie ‘‘ p ? e «
. ? ? S S ^ i f ^ a r o r 4 L : ^ 'r ^ P rehens l o^
or not death or a wounding oc - urs
Sihr£r:r;H:rB:;":;:ii'SS
3. ACTION.
a. N o n - d e a d l v Force,.
An o f f i c e r may use NQN-DEADLY FORCE wĥ :n 1t is necessa ry to :
0 0 U 3 : ^ : j
I G
r\ >
•J J
' / f
- C “
(1) E f f e c t an a r r e s t ;
(2) Prevent the escape f rom' cust ody o f a person who 1s
reasonabl y s us pe c t o f having committed an o f f e n s e ; or wO
(3) Defend one ' s s e l f or another 1n c ases not I nvol v i ng
s e r i o u s bodi l y Injury or death.
b . Deadly For c e .
DEADLY FORCE may be used In the f o l l o w i n g c i rcumst ances onl y ̂
a f t e r a l l o t her reasonabl e means to apprehend or o t he r wi s e prevent
the o f f e n s e have been exhaus ted:
. ( 1 ) S e l f - O e f e n s e .
An o f f i c e r may use DEADLY FORCE when 1t 5̂ 1n the
d e f e n s e o f h i ms e l f or another from s e r i o u s bod 11y i nj ury or
death and the t h r e a t o f s e r i o u s bodi l y Injury or death i s
real and Immediate. '
(2) Fe l on i e s I nvo l v i ng the Use or Threatened Use of Phys i cal
. Force.
An o f f i c e r may use DEADLY FORCE when the o f f e n s e i nv o l v e s
a f e l o n y and the s u s p e c t uses or at t empts to use or t h . e a t e n s
the use of phys i cal f orce a g a i n s t any person.
(3) Other Fe l o n i e s V'here Deadly Force i s Authorized.
A f t e r a l l reasonabl e means o f pre vent i ng or apprehending
a s u s p e c t have been exhaus t ed , DEADLY' FORCE Is aut hor i zed in
t he f o l l o w i n g cr i mes ;
Kidnapping
Murder in the 1st or 2nd degree
Mansi aughter , u u i
Arson ( I nc l ud i ng the use o f f i rebombs)
As s au l t and battery* wi th i n t e n t to c a r n a l l y know
a c h i l d under 12 years o f age
As s au l t and b a t t e r y wi th I n t e n t to commit rape
Burglary In the 1 s t , 2nd, or 3rd degree
As s aul t to commit murder 1n the 1s t or 2nd degree
As s aul t to commit vo l unt ary mansl aughter
Armed and_s1mplj^robbery
C. Use o f Deadly Force P r o h i b i t e d .
The use o f DEADLY FORCE Is p r o h i b i t e d when:
(1) Ar re s t i ng a person for any^mlsdemeanor o f f e n s e ; or
1G3.’ 000323
- 3
. c
(2) E f f e c t i n g an a r r e s t o f any person for escape
the commission of any misdemeanor o f f e n s e .
from
d. Use o f Firearms P r o h i b i t e d . - ■
(1) As warning s h o t s ; • ' * .
(2) From any moving v e h i c l e or to s top any f l e e i n g v e h i c l e ,
e x c e pt in c ases o f s e l f - d e f e n s e or c a s e s i n v o l v i n g :
■(a) Murder in the 1st or 2nd degree
( c ) As s L u and ba t t e r y wi th i n t e n t to c a r n a l l y know
a c h i l d under 12 years o f age
(d) Armed or s i mpl e robbery
(2) In any case where an o f f i c e r d o e s n o t have a c l e a r f i e l d
o f f i r e and cannot be reasonabl y c e r t a i n t hat onl y whe s u s
p e c t w i l l be h i t and t hat the p o t e n t i a l for harm to i nnocent
persons or t h e i r property i s minimal .
Procedures.
wri t t en
to the
F i r-ea rms
Ra n a e .
e. Noti fi cation
(1) Once the s i t u a t ^ - rnntrol . any me m b e r who d i s
ch ar ge s a firearm in the
fact to the Dispatcher who
squad c o m m a n d e r notified
or bu reau commander
p r a c t i c a b l e ,
n a r r a t i y e of the
Chief of Police, with copies
Revi ew Board -
In a d d i t i o n . Form F2100.149 shall
the Fi ring Range.
(2) In any case r e s u l t i n g in death or wounding, the c ogni zant
watch or squad^commander.or hi s de s i g n a t e d r e p r e s e n t a t i v e , w. l .
oroceed to the Tcene and wi l l r e l i e v e the o f f i c o r ( s ) - -oncamed
p e n d i n g compl etion L t
Fi re ar ms Review Board.. In addition, une ui
the H o m i c i d e Squad and the I_nternal Affairs
as pos sible. Preservation of the scene
• of the se n i o r c o m m a n d e r present.
s i t u a t i o n i s under c o n t r o l , any
in ^he l i n e o f duty wi l l immediate ly report the
v/111 have the c ogni z ant watch or
The l a t t e r wi l l inform the p r e c i n c t
o f the event , wi t hout de l ay . As soon as
the o f f i c e r who f i r e d a weapon wi l l submit
c i r c u ms t a n c e s , v i a the chain o f command
to the Seni or Member o f the
and to the Commanding O f f i c e r of the
be f i l l e d out and forv/a.dt.d to
wi l l
Bureau
be the
as rapidly
responsi b i 1 t y
4. SELF-CANCELLATIQfl.
I M S o r d e r shall remain 1n effect “" f ” '“ , ? j n s ' ' ? r o c J r r r c ^ " n d
in co rp or at ed into the depart ment's Manual of Pol.cios, Procc-irc.
Rules and Regulations.
1 6 ' " Hubbard 000327
Oi s t r 1but i on
1969-1974
Summary of Police Shootings Not Resulting in H uman D eath
(From 1969-70 and 1971-74 Summaries)
Total Number of Incidents 212*
Number of Incidents Involving
Unarmed Fleeing Property
Crime (Burglary, Larceny-Theft,
Auto Theft) Suspects Who Did
Not Assault Offi c e r or Other Person-
Shooting to Arrest
AGE
CD
CO
CO
o
of
Under 18 18 and Over U n k n o v m Total
(a) Burglary 10 27 37 74
Black Suspects 9 24 32 6 5-
VJliite Suspects 1 3 3 7
Unknown Race 0 0 2 2
(b) Aut o Theft 7 4 7 18
Black Suspects 7 4 6 17
White Suspects 0 0 0 1
(c) Larce n y - T h e f t 1 2 2 5
Black Suspects 1 0 1 2
Wliite Suspects 0 2 1 3
(d) Total and % 18 33 46 97 (100%) Sb
Black Suspects "17 28 39 84 ( 87%) O
V/hite Suspects 1 5 5 11 ( 11%)
Unknown Race 0 0 2 2 ( 2%)
i r'r'ld.':'iv!’ rfr-:ii 1.1'̂ d̂ :i n of ,i| j 1 ■ I' r' ■ 1 11 cl r f roc- i r/i,. r
3. Warning Shots at
O
O
C2
CO
<\:
Black Suspects
7
■ V.'hite Suspeett
3
Jnknown Race Total
14
Incidents Involving Violent
Crime (Murder, Rape, Robbery and
A g g r a v a t e d A s s a u l t ) — To Arrest,
Jn Sell-defense and in Defense
of Others
AGE
5. A ccidental Discharges
6. To Kill Dangerous or Woun d e d Animal:
Under 18 18 and Over Unknov/h Total
(a) Assa u l t on Officer
With Auto 2 1 4 7
Black Suspects 2 0 2 4
^Vhite Suspects 0 1 1 2
Unknown Race 0 0 1 1
(b) All Other Incidents 2 27 27 56
Black Suspects 1 23 25 4?
IVhite Suspects 1 4 2 7
cn
(c) Total and % 4 28 31 63 (100%)
Black Suspects 3 23 27 53 ( 84%)
Wliite Suspects 1 5 3 9 ( 14%)
Unknown Race 0 0 1 1 ( 2%)
11
13
V / )
o t h e r Incidents (1969-70 Numbers 6, 31, 53 and 59; 1971-74 Numbers 12, 70, 77,
84, 109 and 119)
AGE
CD
u.
Under 18 18 and Over Unknov/n Total
Total " T ------ 3 6 10
Black Suspects 1 2 1 4
I’liito Suspects 0 1 0 1
Unkn o w n Race 0 0 5 5
Summary of Linos 2, 3, 4 and 7
AGE
Under 18 18 and Over Unknown Total
Total 24 64 96 184 (100%)
Black Suspects 21 53 74 148 ( 80%)
VJhite Suspects 3 11 10 24 ( 13%)
Unknown Race 0 0 12 12 ( 7%)
C3
cr
o
Co
o
1969-1971
Summary of Police Shooting Not Resulting in Human Death
(From 1969-70 and 1971 — Summaries)
1. Total Number of Incidents
2. Number of Incidents Involving
Unarmed Fleeing Property
Crime (Burglary, Larceny-Theft,
Auto Theft) Suspects Who Did
Not Assault Officer or Other Person—
Shooting to Arrest
AGE
CT5
‘-D-.
O
Co
Under 18 18 and Over Unknown Total
(a) Burglary 3 9 25 37
Blaclc Suspects 3 8 21 32
White Suspects 0 1 2 ,3
Unknown Race 0 0 2 2
(b) Auto Theft 5 2 6 13
Black Suspects 5 2 6 13
White Suspects 0 0 0 0
(c) Larceny-Theft 1 , 1 1 3
Black Suspects 1 0 0 1
White Suspects 0 1 1 2
(d) Total and % 9 12 32 53 (100%)
Black Suspects 9 10 27 46 (87%)
White Suspects 0 2 3 5(9%)
Unknown Race 0 0 2 2 (4%)
*Four of these incidents resulted in death of suspect and are excluded from remainder
of tables.
Vll
V'
3.
4.
Warning Shots at
Black Suspects
7
Incidents Involving Violent
Crime (Murder, Rape, Robbery and
Aggravated Assault)— To Arrest,
In Self-defense and in Defense
Of Others
White Suspects
1
Unknown Race Total
12
AGE
CO
o
o
c:
Cc
Under 18 18 and Over Unknown Total
(a) Assault on Officer
With Auto 1 0 2 3
Black Suspects 1 0 0 1
White Suspects 0 0 1 1
Unknown Race 0 0 1 1
(b) All Other Incidents 1 7 12 20
Black Suspects 1 5 11 17
White Suspects 0 2 1 3
(c) Total and % 2 7 14 23 (100%)
Black Suspects 2 5 11 18 (78%)
Wliite Suspects 0 2 2 4 (17%)
Unknown Race 0 0 1 1 (4%)
Accidental Discharges 3
To Kill Dangerous or Wounded Animals 4
7. Other Incidents (1969-70 Numbers 6, 31, 53 and 59; 1971 Number 12)
AGE
Under 18 18 and Over Unknown Total
Total 0 2 3 5Black Suspects 0 2 0 2White Suspects 0 0 0 0Unknown 'Race 0 0 3 3
8. Summary of Lines 2, 3, 4 and 7
AGE
Under 10 18 and - Over Unknown Total .
C?*5 Total 11 21 61 93 (100%)Black Suspects 11 17 45 73(78%)
■ White Suspects 0 4 6 10 (11%)Unknown Race 0 0 10 10(11%)
O
O
Co
’.iu
t'
1827. 5-12.
1837. 3-25.
1839. 3-15.
1839. 3-18.
■ ,1'f 1.CRARY
A.-R 22 1065
3A\PHIS,
1839. 3-23.
1839. 3-26.
1840. 3114.
t
is4o. 9-7.
1841. 3-13.
i841. 7-10.
1848. 3-14.
1848. 6-3.
1848. 7-8.
-
HISTORY OF MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT
First Constable (John J. BalchJ appointed.
Constable to receive half of the fees he collects. .__,
Mayor suggests propriety of having police laws. Board names committee
to draft resolution relative to a night watch.
Town watch created. Two night watchmen to. be paid $^00.00 a year,
quarterly.to serve alternately every night from 10 P.M. to day
light, and to be appointed from year to year during good behavior.
Watch empowered to summon any citizen to assist in er.forcing the
law, with a fine for refusal. ̂
J- H. Cox and William Stockton elected town watch. Committee
named to draft plan for building calaboose on Market Square.
Brick calaboose to be 12' x 20', d-1. Inside to be lined with oak
timber.
Might watch increased to three, one for each ward, salary $300.00
a year , payable mont.hly. 5-4. Rattlers bought for night watch.
Night watch to patrol streets and alleys once every hour and to^
wear badges. ' Captain of Might Guard to he appointed from their
number, to ring 10 o'clock bell, take charge of badges, rattlers,
etc. when not in use, and to report absence or neglect of duty.
One night watchman dismissed for neglect of duty. 5-3. Board pays
burial expenses and bill for care of dead watchman.
Captain of Night Watch to prescribe watchman's rounds.
Captain of Watch paid $40.00 a month, watchman $35.00. The Captain
to be~ Jailer or Keeper of the Calaboose, receiving 5;S of fees
collected. 3-21. Captain's salary made $50.00, with 1% of fees.
Officer to receive $1.00 fee for whipping slaves, to be paid by
slave's owner.
Police force to consist of seven men and Captain. Men, $30.00 a
month; Captain, $40.00. City divided into three districts: 1st,
two men; 2nd., three; 3rd., two. <
-1645 I' U u <3 i
r
\
1854-.
18S4-. 7-1.
185";. 8-1.
1854-.
1868.
1870.
• Page # 3 •
before appointment.
5-2 Cypress fence lO^* thick and 15’ high to be built around new cal
aboose (north of Exchange, soutit of Navy Yard) to enclose space
200* square.
captain of Night Police, $70.00 a tronth; Captain of Day Police,
$70.00 a month; City Marshal, $1200.00 per annum. 7-5. Office of
deputy marshal created*
Police, except City Marshal and Captains of Day and Night Police, to
be appointed by Mayor and discharged when necessary.
11-28. Secret Police to be appointed'by Mayor and Vigilance Committee.
9-1. Class of boys known as "Mackerells" reported to be inflicting many
depredations on citizens. Reccmraended that a workhouse be es
tablished.
3- 3. Mayor and Police Board authorized to lease from N. Adams, Esq.,
’ the house and let on Adams between Main and Second for a City Jail
» or station at annual rent of $2000.00 and to have it fitted up as
a station house, recorder's courtroom and offices. *
4- 6. Chief of Police reports that police force has two captains, four
sergeants, two roundsmen, 3^ day poUcemen, 41 night poUcemen, two
• _ station house keepers, four special force, two clerks. Total, 91.
Arrests for March: 859 (724 males, 135 females) .
11-3. Chief of Police allowed one saddle, coat not to exceed $50.00.
1873. 11-5. Council records with praise that all but two policemen remained on
duty during the yeUow fever epidemic until stricken. Of SO strick
en, 10 died.
1874. 4-J.4. Resolution adopted requesting Mayor to employ on the poUce force,
lOX Italians, 20% Irish, 20% German, and of white and colored
• • Americans and other nationaUties, 50%. Resolution asking Police
Board to put 20 colored men on force, lost by vote 16-3.
1881. 2-21. Pay of police force: Chief. $125.00 a month; Captains. $90.00 a
1-3
1870.
1870.
m m ■ iw; J "j <;**'*'*? A t
, ‘̂ '•■=̂ l'-OLiCE a
l̂ilG j 7
SURVEY OF ATTITUDES TOV7APT) POLICE
IN RESIDENTS OF MEMPHIS, TELD7ESSEE
Conducted by
LeMoyne-O’.ven College
Departments of Psychology and Soci-ology
Memphis State University
Departaient of Psychology
March, 1970
ie<;7 L'00o3i
I. INTRODUCTIOM
Rationale.
Controversy has surrounded the Memphis■ Police Depart
ment in recent months. Charges of "police brutality", "un
equal treatment", and "racism" have been levelled against
local lcii7 enforcement officers. Citizen concern about shootings
of criminal suspects by policemen has been v;idospread. The
formation of an ad hoc committee of the N.A.A.C.P. composed
of prominent Black citizens to review and examine charges of
police violence has caused much concern among the leadership
of the Memphis Police Department and of Memphis City Govern
ment; it also may have served to further polarize Black and
T*?hite attitudes about the police. The questions of whether or
not "jjolice brutality" exists in Memphis, hci7 much of a prob
lem this is seen to be by local citizens, and who should in
vestigate charges of such alleged acts -- the presently
used Internal Security Division of the police department or a
reviev/ board external to the police department — have pro
duced much heat and discussion at all levels of the community.
Nowithstanding all this recent foment, no adequate
data have been available on citizens.' attitudes about the
Memphis police generally, on citizens' definitions of "police
brutality" and their views of its incidence in I-lemphis, or
about citizens' impressions of allegedly "unequal" treatment
of persons of different races or classes by policemen.
1G4J 000337
must be precisoly known, rather than surali;ed. It was to
. provido such information that the present attitude survey
was done.
Professional Personnel
This survey was designed and prepared solely by the
following three persons: Robert N. vidullch, Ph.D., Professor
and Chairman of the Department of Psychology, Memphis state
/
V,
and Charles Bailey, M.A., Assistant Professor of Sociology
at LeMoyne-Owen College.
These professionals, as well as tlie students who did
the actual interviewing for the survey, all served in a vol
untary capacity and received no remuneration for this project.
Similarly, all decisions about the purposes, design, and con-
c3uct of this project rooted with these throe individuals7
no other individuals, organizations, or agencies in the com
munity were consulted or provided suggestions. Great care
4_
elzocble portion of Mc-mphis rogidonts, and to avoid biaoing
.the respondents' expressed attitudes. For the latter purpo.se,
an interview questionnaire was designed using open-ended
questions to whish the respondents could provide their own
answers, rather than possibly leading questions for which
response alternatives had been provided by the interviewers.
^istr.i3Dution and Use of These
It is sincerely hoped the results and conclusions con
tained in this report will be helpful in resolving the ex
isting conflicts in this community about police activities.
Since the survey was conducted voluntarily for the service
of the citizens of Memphis, this report is being made avail
able to the news media, the Memphis Police Department, Mayor
Henry Loeb, the Memphis city Council, and by request to the
National association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Additional copies of this report are available for any other
group, agency, or interested citizen of this community upon
request.*
I G J j 0 0 0 3 3 ^
11
c
IV. RESULTS
Interviev/ees v/erc asked a series of open-ended
J ./questions concerning their attitude tov.'ard the Memphis
>1.They were free to respond in any way
they desired. Responses were content anali^zed, and those
questions to which a significant nuirfaez* of persons re
sponded nro di»ots3acd below. In addition, an objective
attitude scale was administered; these results are also
reported,
4op_P.f..Memphis Police Department
To measure overall opinion tov;ard police, this ques
tion was first asked:
"In general, what do you thinJc of the Memphis police?"
Answers were coded in one of four categories, which
are illustrated belov;:
1) favorable-positive ("doing a good job," "very
nice," "best in the country.")
2") anibivalent-raixed (” some times good, sometimes .bad, "
"sometimes fair, sometimes not.")
3) unfavorable-negative ("can't say anything good,"
"don't like police at all,"
"leave a lot to be desired.")
4) no response-no opinion ("I don't knov/.")
Ninety-one percent of those interviev;ed gave an
opinion in one of the first three categories. A favorable
opinion of police was expressed by 52iS of these, 25% were
ambivalent, and 23% were unfavorable. lIov;ovor, these totals
mask a striking difference bct\-;ocn Blacks and -̂Tliites.
0 0 U 3 n 0i 0 D JL
12
Favorable opinions were voiced by 11% of vniites, but by
only 38% of Blacks. If airsbivalent and negative opinions
are combined- into a category of "less than complete ap
proval/' 62% of Blacks express this opinion, but only -23%
of Whites.
An interesting trend appears in these data v;hich
reappears several times throughout the study. VThites in
the older group (over age 35) are most favorable in their
opinions of police (90% positive). Next most favorable
are the opinions of younger VThites (56%) . Third are the
opinions of older Blacks (41%), while least favorable are
younger Blacks (31%) . Thus it appears that differences
across the infamous "generation gap" (younger vs. older,
regardless of race) are less than differences between the
two races.
Answers to the general opinion question are summarized
in Table I. •
000341
16;
17
C
Equality o£ Treatment
TO detoniiine attitudes about police fairness or
equality of treatment of all citizens, this question
■was asked:
"Do you think Memphis policemon treat everyone
alike?"
In the total sample, 6CT/o ansv;ered "no", that there
is not equality of treatment by Memphis police; 18%
answered "yes". However, these figures mainly reflect
the larger number of Blacks in the sample. Three-fourths
of Blacks (74%) denied that equal treatment exists; only
6% answered "yes". In Whites, the direction was reversed:
Equal treatment was agreed to by 42?̂ , while 29% saw treat
ment as unequal. A substantial proportion (20-%) of
whites saw inequality as inevitable ("It's not human
nature to treat everyone alike.", "Some people bring it
on themselves."). Also of interest is that none of the
groups (Black, White, older, younger, or age-race combina
tions) produced "equality" responses in even one-half of
its raeitbers.
In an effort to specify the reports of unequal treat
ment. the tjacs'LioTi T-̂as asked:
"Tfho do they (Memphis police) treat differently?
Since this was asked only of persons v/ho believed
treatment v/as unequal, there were fewer total response
1G53 "■•(about two-thirds of the total sample.). Of these, 66,o
stated that race was the basis of unequal treatment (Blacks
being treated less v/ell than Whites) . This opinion was
held by 50/i of VThites and 71% of Blacks who believed there
was inequality. Thus it appears that nearly half of all
‘Jl tpersons in the entire survey believe there is vmequal treat
ment based on race. Other mentioned causes of unequal
treatment, including social class, personal favoritism,
sex, age, appearance, etc., contained much lower frequencies
of occurrence.
Answers to the questions on equality of treatment are
summarised in Table 3.
18
1654 00034.1
20
Opinions of "Pol5.ce Brutality”.
r
A series of three questions investigated the meaning
/
of the terra '’police brutality", beliefs about its'oc--
>i
currence in Memphis, and opinions on how charges of
"brutality" should bo handled. These questions are des
cribed below:
a) "Wliat do you personally think 'police brutality'is?"
The most frequent definition v;as "unnecessary physi
cal force", given by 37% of all interviev/ees, This v/as
followed by "anv physical force", at 28%, and "non-physi
cal abuse" at 25%. There was greater agreement bet^veon
Blacks and Whites on this question than on most others
in the survey. Although I'Thites' stressed unnecessary’’ force,
while Blacks more often mentioned any force, the totals
of responses mentioning physical force were very sLmilar
(Blacks, 66%; Whites, ’62%).
b) "Do you think there is any 'police brutality',
as you've described it, in Memphis?"
Over all cases, 69% said "yes", there is 'brutality'
as they defined it. Among Whites there was an even split:
"Yes" responses totaled 43%, and "No" responses were 43%.
(Failures to ansv;or and "don't know" accounted for the
other 14%.). Among Blacks, "yes" responses were given by
81%, and "no" by 8/̂ . The only group in v/hich fewer than
half answered "yes" was older VThites (35%). L0J34'1
c) "If a charge of 'police brutality' is raised
against a Memphis policeman, what should be 165,7
done? VJho sliould investigate such a charge?" '
21
Nearly one—fourth of the interviewees had no opinion
on this question. Of those v/ho responded, 42% of I'THites
/ «
and 27% of Blacks thought the Police Department alone
it
should investigate. Over ono-half of Blacks (58%) and
one-fourth of VThites (25%) would place the investigation
in the hands of some non-police agency. A smaller per
cent would have an investigation by police and civilians
together. When this group is combined with the "non
police agency" group, a total of 53% of Blacks and 48%
of VThites indicate that non-police should have some role
in the investigation of charges of "police brutality".
No race, age, or age-race group has a majority in favor
of police-only investigations. • On the other hand, 65%
of T^hites want police to have some role in the investi
gation (as compared to 32% of'Blacks) .
Answers to the question on "police brutality" are
summarized in Table 4.
00034̂)
1C 56
• /
Ad Hoc CoroiniCuee Stafj: Record
10/19/
THE IvIEMPRIS POLICE DEPARTMENT
Table of Ccntencs
Intrcduccion........................................ .p . 1
Summary of Findings and General Issues............p,4
Ch.l: Racial Segregation* in the Department........ p,8
Ch.2: Size, Salary Scales, and Exce
Ranking Officers
ss of .p. 14
Cn.3: Lack of Policy Control.... o lo
h ........................
Ch.4: Police Shootings............ *............. p.27
i. J-# v I - ..... .p.-#C
Cb.6: Civilian llaviev and Internal Discipline..... p.37
Ch.7: Police-Community Relations...^............ p.43
Ch.8: Criminal Justice and the Bail Bond System,..p.54
Recommenda tions..................................p. 62
Conclusion. .......................................o . 65
Aftemvord..... ................................... p. 67
APPENDICES
I. Members of the Ad Hoc Committee............... p.68
II. Statement of Puroosa..... o 69
III. Rules of Procedure.......................... p.70
IV. Survey of .Attitudes Toward Police............ p . 74
V. Testimcay of Bax̂ ard Rustin. ....................p . 85
16.5 V
0003d3
fNTP.ODUCTICM
C.
(X)
Polxca authority is not easily challenged. Facts are
hxdder., and cclice procedures are jealously guarded. As a
result, accusations based on ruir.or and suspicion inflame, the
passxons and exaggerate prejudice.s on all sides.
In Memphis a five-man committee, convened at the request' '
of the Memphis branch of the'N.A.A.C.P., undertook the creation
of a fortm for the examination of complaints against police
abuse and misconduct. The Ad .Hoc Committee sought a dignified
and objective inquiry into the operation of the macMinery
of la» enforcement and criminal justice in .lemphis. Its goal '
-was to provide a foundation of facts'from which sclutic.ns ■
could be sought to the community-wide problems of police-
community relations and the workings of the criminal law.
The Committee's findings and recommendations form this
report. T.hey are not likely to be accepted by all, for they
challenge theories and preconceptions held by citizens and
pclxce alike.-•ttoreover they constitute a challenge, to all
supporters of peace, order and strong a n d effective law
enforoement~to recognize that substantial changes are needed.
To have peace, and to prevent a decline into either anarchy
or armed ocouoation, the community .must both dem.and and be
prepared to pay for a modern, effective police force.
The trust and support of all law-abiding citizens are
required if a modern police force is to he able to function;
000347
1C.59
Page 2 <(
these cannot be achieved except in an atmosphere of under
standing and communication. To preserve and protect the
institutions of a rree society, the Cbrnmittee tenders this
report as a basrs for the dialogue necessary to bridge the
existing gaps of understanding and confidence.
e.
(ii) The Scope of the Investigation
The Ad IIoc Coirjiiitt;ee' s investigative staff maintained
an office for approximately three months— February through
During tnat time the investigators conducted
approximately ninety personal interviews v;ith comolainants
and witnesses, and took 54 v/ritten statements.
•c'-i-ty individual files v/ere opened and follov^ed uo.
eight additional files were handled but could not
be v7orked to any conclusion, due to the age of the comolaints,
the unavailability of witnesses, or the doubtful nature of
the complaint itself. . '
The Committee held five days of public hearincs—
March 18 and 19, and April 8, 15, and 22. Forty—four witnesses
testified, and 826 pages of oral testimony were taken. 143
exhibits were presented, totalling 2231 additional pages.
24 photographs were presented as exhibits, and 17 others were
filed but not presented.
000348
H ’59
- , . - V -
Page 3 C
- C
c.
( H ) ^̂ *^̂ OV-'2.SClCT0p'r̂ n
The Cor.^ittee is aspesiaily indebtac to the f-emphis
branch and the national office of the M.Ji.A.C.P. for their
continuing interest and financial support of its investigition
end hearings, and to the following organisations for their
technical and financial assistance and support: the United ' "
- Methodist-Church, the United Church of'Christ, the Corcrunity
Service of the United States Department of Justice,
the urban Law Institute of George Washington University,*^
Bail Refop.. Project administered under the auspices of the "
San Francisco Bar Foundation, the .Manhattan Bail Reform
Project, and the West Tennessee chapter of the American
Civil Liberties; Union.
The Com-tittee is particularly indebted to those groups
and -ncixv,.auals xn Memphis— too numerous to mention— without
whose continuing support and courageous willingness to step
for-ward the facts gathered by the Cormittoe could never
have cone to light.
Acknowledging its appreciation for and dependence upon
the cooperation, the knowledge, and the scholarship of the
above groups and individuals, the Committee is nevertheless
solely responsible for the interpretation of the facts as
presented herein and the conclusions and recommendations
darxvad therefrom..
ri
1j- 6 G 0
000349
S^jJ-ARY CF FINDINGS ;̂ ;̂D REC0M>'K7'Jnflr-Tn>-:
As a result of its ir.vastieations and hearings, the
Ad Hoc Corsaittee v.-as able to draw the ‘follcuing broad
conclusions, v/hich are elaborated upon within:
1. The f.enphis Police Department faces increasing
. ■. distrust and lack of cooperation in the city, as ■
a result of:
a. a lack of credibility on the issue of
police misconduct;
b. the faxlure to implement effective programs
of community relations;
c. discrimination in the hiring and promotion
of black policemen;
d. the continuation of widespread racial abuse
of black citizens by policemen.
2. The Memphis Police Department is too small to
perrorm its duties effectively, its size is further
reduced by a disproportionate number of officers
of supervisory rank. Salary levels are too-low to
attract men of the highest calibre and qualifications
3. Tne structure and administration of the Department
serves to insulate the policy makers and tends
• to perpetuate undesirable police practices.
4. Citizens aggrieved by police behavior have no
e-.,̂ eŵ ive recourse. As a practical matter the
icr
000350
ige 5 C( C(
Grand Jury ,.,m return an indictnent
against a pollcenan. Wvil litigation is too
long, involved, and expenslvel Elected officials
have not exercised their potential for control.
And the cora?lai.nt procedure within the Depart-
,ment itself appears designed to cover up and
justify all police activity.
s. The Internal Affairi Bureau does not handle
in a manner calculated to
create public confidence.
6. The Police Department's policy on the use of
deadly force creates an attitude of fear and
distrust, and tends to influence the numoer of
shootings by police.
The Committee’s general recommendations are grouped
around the following issues: •
1- There is a need for a credible acknowledgenent
by the Police Departeent of the need for increased
police-citizen cooperation, especially between
police and black citizens.
2. Firm action is necessary to end racially abusive
language and conduct by policeimen.
3. Tfl,ether perpetrated by design or by custom, racial
discrimination in the hiring and promotion of
1 pr* 1 -L U o u o a r ^ i
Page 6 ((
C .
policemen must stop. Progress in this area
should begin v.ith a black officer or equivalent
cxvilxan at the Assistant Chief level.
4. Police-coirm.unity relations must be recognized as
a key factor in decisions on policy and operations.
The status and prestige of the prese.nt Community
■Relations Bureau of the Department is inadequate
for this task, and must be upgraded.
5. The Police Department appropriations must be
expanded to enlarge and streamline the Department.
̂ Pay scales reflecting the professionalism of the
force must be tied to an insistence on qualitative
xmprovements to achieve such professionalism.
6. The procedure for handling citizens' complaints
must be re-designed. Citizens groups should par-
txcxpate both in the design of a fair complaint
procedure and in its operation. At the same time,
control Oi. police discipline should remain v/ithin
the Department. Cooperation in complaint handling
between police and citizens would increase both
publxc confidence and fairness to all parties.
7. The Department's guidelines on the use of firearm.s
and deadly rorce, a.nd the degree of supervisory^
control over abusive or excessive force of all types,
should be carefully examined and re-worked, to
refleer.and assure an adequate concern for the value
0003521 6 5
Page 7 ,(
C
of human life.
S. The ccnnnercial bail bond system has a per
nicious and discriminatory effect on the boor
and alternatives should be sought which guarantee
the poor the rights secured to all by the Eighth
•_ Ainendment.
IĜU X
00U353
(
Page 8 C C
Chapter I. Racial Segrccration in the r-'enohis Police Departiri.ent
In 19 60 the populations of the metropolitan MeniDhis
area v;as 37.9% black.^ In 1965 the percentage of blacks had
risen to 40%.^ in 1967 the percentage of Memphis police
men v;ho were black was 5.5%.^
nothing will do more in the long run to give
Negroes confidence in the police than the presence of black
faces on the force. People believe v;hat they see. An inte-
scout car or an integrated police detachment proclaims
fair and authoritative lav; enforcement; the absence of
t
integration suggests the opposite."^
Even, the tentative first steps tow^ard the representation
black community on the police force have been rela—
^•^vely recent, (In 1874, a city resolution v;hich v/ould
simply have asked the Police Board to add tv;enty colored
men to the force was defeated 16-3.^) The first black
1. U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Pooulation, 1960;
Characteristics of the Population, Vol.l.
2. 1965 census estimates.
For All The People, By All The People, U.S. Commission on
Rights, 1969 (hereinafter cited as Commission Reoort),p.ll. ------- '
Police on the Urban Frontier, George Edv;ards (Judge,
U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Aopeals; Police Commissione'^ of Detroit, 1962-3), 1968, p.86.
Nistorv of the Memphis Police Department, prepared by
the Department in 1964, in Cossitt Librarv, Memphis. Unpaginated.'
16C. 0003 r* J
s. ̂ ^
Page 9 c
policemen, thirteen in number, v/ere added to the force
in 1948.^
Compounding the problem of simple under-representation
of the black community on the Memphis police force is the
appearance that the Departir.ent becomes increasingly segregated
at the higher levels. That is, 96.7% of the laborers
employed by governmental bodies in the Hem.phis area in 1967
were black. The same year/ 29.2% of the civilian staff
of the Police Departr.ent were black. ̂ Statistics of the
Department from August 1968 to August 1969 indicate that
10.5% c?f the Detectives and 5.3% of the Warrant' Of ficers were
black. In 19 67, v/hen the overall percentage of black
T*» O 7 ̂ ^ only four black lieutenants 10
11b_t;7een 2.1-o and 2.6% of the lieutenants on the force.
xMoreover, these lieutenants were in the detective unit, where
they had no supervisory power over any white patrolmen.
6. Commission P.eport, p.9Q.
7. M at 11.'-
8. Id at 13.
9. Figures taken from Police Department records.
10. Comanission Report, p.3.
11. In 1964 there were 151 lieutenants on the force. Fis^or^^
fiscal 1968-69 there were 189. -.ê -his ' ' Pplice_ Department P.ecuested Anoror^ at̂ ’on . ^̂’iscAT-^'o^^n unpagrnated, hereinafter cited as Budg^'t----^
12. Commission Report, p.3.
000305
16GJ
Page 10 ((. C(
c
These figures, which shov/ an increased degree of racial
Iiinbalance at the higher ranks, could be justified by ttie
argijir.ent of history that black patroliten v;ere not available
for proir.otion to the higher grades, v;ere it not for factors
in the Departrr.ent' s policies v/hich allow for the possibility
of continuing ^ facto discrimination in promotions'.
The assertion is generally made that police promotion
procedures are neutral and hon-discriminatory. For example,
the Director of Fire and Police, Frank Holloman, stated to
the'Memphis City Council on January 6, 1970:
1 * •
VJhen promotions will be made, they v/ill
be made on the basis of seniority and
qualifications and according to Civil Service
rules and regulations. VThen a promotion is
made, v;e must select one of the three top
men on the Civil Service eligibility list.
Unfortunately this kind of assertion is not the end of
inquiry, but only the beginning, for when the possibilities
hidden is such language are unpacked and examined, the
potential for discrimination appears.
In any recently integrated department, emphasis on ^
seniority v̂ ill tend to perpetuate de facto the segregation
in the system which v;as previously practiced as open policy.
Not only is the obvious factor at v;ork— namely, that recently
hired black policemen will necessarily lack the seniority
required for promotion— but also the black officers will be
subjected to the individual hostility and discrimination
residual in a newly"integrated force.
00025=
Page 11
Seniority may be a questionable standard for promotion
in any event, given its capacity for impeding the prom.otion
of othenvise-qualified minority group'members- The quality
of the work experience must be examined, to determine its
/
relevance to the nature of the v;ork the prom.oted individual
v/ill be asked to perform. "Quite often the highly touted
’twenty years of experience' is m.erely one year of experience
tv;enty times."^^
A second consideration in v/eighing the objectivity of
police promotion practices is the nature of the qualifications
for promotion. Ratings for leadership capacity will tend
to be poor v;here, as in Memphis, black policemen are not
placed in positions where their leadership abilities can be'
tested and developed. Moreover, unless the policy-making
. officials take the strictest stand for, and em>ploy credible
procedures to establish, objectivity in the compilation of
evaluations by supervisors, there are two possible results:
subtle but real forms of discrimination v/ill be used bv
the supervisors of black policemen; and an attitude of
pessimism, and loss of belief v/ill be fostered among black
v/ho v/ill not be convinced that they are treated
equally by the Department.
Mr. Holloman’s statement pointed out, the
Mem.phis Police Departeent uses the so-called "rule of three"
in prom.otions, v/hereby those supervisors in the departm.ent
uomm.iSo ion Report, p.5G, quoting 0.Glenn Stahl, Public;onnej. f-c.minxs tration, I'arper and Ross, 19 62, n./09
IGGJ
011(1V/ 1/ I
(
Page 12 ( (
v;ho selecu j.or pronotion nake a choice for each position
from among the tliree qualified men at the top of the register.
Since selection of one man out of three is arhitrary
and need not be justified by those doing the selecting, the
vigorous application of this rule tov;ard the goal of
eliminating the under-representation of black policemen in
the higher ranks could have a salutary effect, particularly
if coupled with a re-evaluation toward that same end of the
other criteria used in promotion.
On the other hand, of course, the opposite result is
at least equally possible; that is, it has been repeatedly
observed that a personnel director, department head, or
sU^ervj-sor in charge of promotron-—who is himself
probably white is unlikely to select for promotion a
qualified black candidate over two others who are both
equally qualified and v;hite.^^
VThether or not overt racial discrimination in promotion
is practiced by the I-!emphis Police Department, then, is a
question answ-erable only by the appearance that it is. This
appearance leads to the presum.ption, at the least, that som.e
form of discrimination— including that built into the present
Civil Service structure— does stand in the way of promotions
for black policemen.
This opinion is held by miembers of the black communitv.
A former policeman,.appearing before the Committee, testified
I'l. Commission -Report, p.69. 0 0 U o 5 8
1GG9
(
Page 13 ( C
that. v;hite officers v.'ere promoted over senior black officers,
and that "it more or less boils do'-ni to favoritism of the
commanding officer as to v;ho gets promoted .B ut, he also
testified, v;ith their present jobs' and security at stake,
black officers "are disgusted, they are frustrated, but they ’
are afraid to speak out, and they are not going to speak
out, because.they probably v/ould jeopardize their jobs,
their homes, and their families."^®
15. The Ad Hoc Committee's proceedings are transcribed in
four volum^esr March 18 and 19, April 3, April 15, and
April 22, 1970. These will be cited as I-IV Hearings.
This officer's testimony is found at IV Hearings 59.
16. Id at 53.
IG . J 000350
■(
Page 13 C (
that v;hits officers v/ere proraoted over senior black officers,
and that "it more or less boils dov.Ti to favoritism of the
coramanding officer as to v;ho gets promoted. But, he also
testified, v;ith their present jobs and security at stake,
black officers "are disgusted, they are frustrated, but ■ they ‘
are afraid to speak out, and they are not going to speak
out, because... they probably v/ould jeopardize their jobs,
their homes, and their farailies . "
15. The Ad Hoc Committee's proceedings are transcribed in
four volum.es: Ilarch 18 and 19, April 3, April 15, and
April 22, 19 70. These v/ill be cited as I-IV Hearings.
This officer's testimony is found at IV Hearings 59.
16. Id at 53.
1 C 7 . n 0 0 3 3 V
c
Page 19 c (
Chapter I I I - - r a d Lach 'of P o l i c y Control At The Too of Tae Dooart"3nc
There i s anpLe e v id e n c e that the Her.phis P o l i c e Department
o p e r a t e s l a r g e l y on i t s ox/n i n e r t i a , and not under the c o n t r o l o f
i t s t i t u l a r l e a d e r s , the D i r e c t o r o f F ir e and P o l i c e and the Ch ie f
o f P o l i c e , Tilts l a c h o f c o n t r o l i s demonstrable i n tx;o important
c r e a s - - j . n the p r e v a le n c e o f r a c i a l l y a b u s iv e conduct by n o l i c e
o m c e r s , no txx t ths ten d in g p o l i c y pronouncements to the c o n t r a r y ,
and i n the Department 's s t r u c t u r e d c a p a c i t y to hide p o l i c e m i s
conduct a t the loT-7er l e v e l s ,
A. The I n c id e n c e o f R a c i a l Abusej — — — -— ■—
The D i r e c t o r o f F i r e and P o l i c e a s s e r t s t h a t "the p o l i c y o f
t h i s D i v i s i o n [ ] i0 t h a t there would be o n ly one c l a s s o f c i t i z e n s
and t h a t a l l c i t i z e n s x7ould be t r e a t e d a l i k e r e g a r d l e s s o f r a c e ,
c r e e d , or economic s t a t u s . ' Tnis p u b l i c p o s i t i o n i s not supported
by r e a l i t y .
Every i .egro X7itness xvno t e s t i f i e c b e i o r e the Committee c o n
c e r n i n g n i s trea tm ent by Plemphis p o l i c e o f f i c e r s t e s t i f i e d to the
u s e o f o b s c e n i t y and r a c i a l l y a b u s iv e language by the o f f i c e r s
i n v o l v e d , 'Dae most common form o f address .by a Memphis po l icem an
t o a blac:: person appears to be " n i g g e r ." An e ve ry -d ay example i s
t h a t o f a y o u th x;ho t e s t i f i e d tha t he was chased by a p o l i c e s t a t i o n
X7agon xjh i l e r e t u r n i n g home from a b a s k e t b a l l game. In h i s words:
Letter from Director ITollcman to Chief Z.A. ;-Iamilton, uanuary
22, 1953. See also letters March 13, 1959 and October 5.
1959 CO '■i.A..A. C.P. Z:<ccutiv3 Deere tary Maxine Smith; -also
nemoran-xaim to Fxlice P-r.so:;r.el attached to letter o-’ '■•’e'̂ cn VO I'-'. - 7.1 ̂ ‘ -;c.vv-e '.uiiire, '.'ctors
C^} X.0 $
f; , s <> (- 7'.u vj u x) :> M
Pago 20 A
( (
/. o . r i c e r . t h a t was d r i v i n g got out o f the car
and asked ne where I had been . I - t o l d him I was j u s t
coming back from the b a s k e t b a l l game. He asked me who
xcon, and I t o l d him we d i d . He asked me where I was
g o i n g . I t o l d him. He s a i d , ”I have done t o ld you
^-22-^3 to s t a y o f f the s t r e e t one t i m e . ” Then
he s lu n g me a g a i n s t the c a r . As he s lu n g me a g a i n s t
th e c a r , a n o th e r policem.an came cu t o f the d i t c h with
a gun i n one hand and a s t i c k i n the o t h e r one.
Q u e s t io n : knat happened whan the pol iceman came back
tip to the c a r then?
Answer: He asked me where I had been , and I t o ld him,.
înd then he s a i d , I t o ld you damn n i g g e r s to s t a y o f f
una s t r e e t one cim,e. I s a i d , I was g o in g home. And
then he h i t me on the l e g w i th the s t i c k , and he turned
me around and throwed m,e back up a g a i n s t the car and h i t
ma i n .̂he bacn, and tnen I turned around, and he h i t Cie
on 1,’ne .cnee w i th the s t i c k , and then he jabbed me in the
p r i v a t e s w i t h the knee , and he t o l d me I d o n ' t want to
c a t c h you dam.n n i g g e r s on the s t r e e t no m.ore. He s a i d ,
i f I c a t c h you I am. go ing to b e a t you b e t t e r than I did
tim.e, and tnen i sm go ing to take you i n , and
g e t your a s s e s on home. Hu s a i d I had b e t t e r not c a tc h
you , by tne ti.m.e I ma'-.e i t over on Shannon S t r e e t you had
b e t t e r be in the house .
-f p !-'<• .
4.U s
n 1 ■5 o ' j t.'' iu!' J U O >.} J.
?ar.2 21
(
Q ue st ion : How nary tin.es then x/era you s t r u c ’n a i to £ e t n e r ? .
Answer: Four tir.;es.
Q u e s t io n : a.ne l a s t t i n e when he jabbed i n your p r i v a t e p a r t s ,
v.'ere you s t r u o h ---- how f a r ŵ as he s t a n d in g fron you v;hen he
jabbed you?
Answer: He was r i g h t up on ne .
Q u e s t io n : Did he swing h i s s t i c k , or d id he jab i t a t you?
Ansxver: Ke jabbed i t .
Q u e s t i o n : Has t here any doubt i n your mind t h a t he d e l i b e r a t a l y
jabbed you there?
Tlie D i r e c t o r o f F i r e and P o l i c e , w i t h the C h ie f o f P o l i c e
below- him, has r e s p o n s i b i l i t y fo r and s u p e r v i s o r y c o n t r o l over
tne llorapnis P o l i c e Departsient . Tlie £-:ttent to which th e se men kno'w
o” w i l l adrtit t o tne c o n d i t i o n o f the Department, how'ever, cay
be found i n the C h i e f ' s answer to t h i s q u e s t i o n :
"Do you th in k t h e r e i s any e v id e n c e o f r a c i a l p r e j u d i c e i n the
Memphis P o l i c e Department?"
Answer:""! s u s p e c t t h a t I ’•rould be the l a s t one to know." 27
I t i s r e g r e t t a b l y u n t h in k a b le t h a t r a c i a l p r e j u d i c e should
% f '
not e x i s t among a 3571 v;hite p o l i c e f o r c e i n a Southern c i t y . The
p o i n t J iere, however, i s tha t the Department 's p u t a t i v e l e a d e r s
should do so l i t t l e about i t .
The " f i r s t - c l a s s c i t i z e n " r.enorandum d i s t r i b u t e d to p o l i c e
2 5 . I l l H - a r i n - r 7 5 - 7 7 . 1G7. ! \ l \ l . ') C ' OU U U 6 b A.
7^ • u n p o s i t I ’.i H e r n s v . C i t y o f M e-.'-oh i.s , r t d c r a l C i v ' l l H e . 7 0 - 5 1
Pcge 22 r C
23
p e r s o n n e l e a r l y In 1363 , has been o f nc 2 l i 3 i b l e e f f e c ! : . A foimer
lieciphis po l ice ;nan , t e s t i f y i n g b e f o r e the C o i .m it tee , i n d i c a t e d tha t
the D i r e c t o r ' s rr-eciorandun x.-as l a r g e l y ignored: '
Q ue st ion : During your p e r io d on the Ilex.phis P o l i c e Force v e r e
t h e re any i n s t r u c t i o n s i s s u e d g e n e r a l l y about the use o f
d e r o g a t o r y terms and r a c i a l s l u r s ?
AnsX'/ar: P r i o r to l e a v i n g the P o l i c e Department I thinit I
r e c a l l a mercoranduci con ing doxra from the h ig h e r o f f i c e
s t a t i n g t h a t a b u s iv e language vo u ld no t ba condoned or
t o l e r a t e d in the d e p a r t m e n t . . . .
Q u e s t io n : Things d i d n ' t change a f t e r the nenorandun?
Andver: No.
Q u e s t io n : Bo you th in k any o f the x/hite p o l i c e o f f i c e r s
v;ho u se d those t er n s f e a r e d th a t any ad ve r se c o nseru en ces
xjould occur i f they c o n t in u e d to use th o s e t e r n s a f t e r
t h a t necin, or t h a t they v e r e a f r a i d i n any vay tha t
t h e i r pronoCions might be a f f e c t e d ?
29
Answer: I d o n ' t thin!: s o .
z'
The Committee a f t e r i t s h e a r i n g s had no reason to th in k so e i t h e r .
The t e s t im o n y o f the x ; i t n e s s e s b e f o r e i t i s u g l y :
"He s a i d j . y o u b lack son o f a b i t c h d o n ' t you knox^
they a i n ' t n o t h in g in the world that a son o f a b i t c h
. 30l i k e you i s supposed to un d er s tan d ."
23. See n .2 5 .
21. IV l i e a r i ri'j.' ou-67.
30. I l l Hearinc-.-; 15. 1 OKI •
-L U J
0 0 0 O
Pace 23 C (
"After die officer got there they started telling
us v;hat...all kinds of black mother fuckers and
niggers, and then he started to hit me in the side
31with the stick." '
"I was laying on the ground, and...I kept calling
out, and told hie that I was shot...and he told me, -
he said, turn over, you black SOB, like that with
32
his foot, kicked tie over."
"Tnis officer was talking to me, told this officer
33
this nigger don't know how to say 'Yassah'" and 'Nesah'
!
The clearest testimony to the existence of a double standard
of language and conduct was contained in the testimony of a white
attorney attached to the United States Department of Justice, who
on the evening of December 27, 1969 was stopped by Memphis police,
In his words:
The f-polic^man that was driving the car said at that
time words to the effect, if we see you driving through
the black section we're going to lock you up. He didn't
say the black section, ha said "niggertown."
,.,Ee reached in the car, grabbed me by the shirt
'collar, jerl;ed me cut of the car, ripping my shirt...and
hit me t'area times with the flat of his hand on the left
31. at 111.
32. IV Heariri-s 33-G7.
33. Id at 115.
I C V g
0 0 0 3 B4
Past; 24 ('
side oi ciV r.ec!;....'
The nandiesc fora of idsnOificatioa that I could get
to was ny Justice Departaent I.D. folder,- so I showed hia
that. Proa that point forrrard the ataosphere of th.s whole
/
confrontation shifted significantly. He said that he was
extreaely sorry for what had happened, and if I had only
told hia that I was with the Departaent earlier we wouldn't
34have had any ti-ouble.
Notivitnstaadrng the Director's public assertions, then, that all
citizens of Meaphis are "first-class," it is clear that tha departaent-
■wide policy is to treat blade citizens as considerably less first-class
than white.
B. Papartreentai Insulation of liiscor.duct
In Chapter rl the statistics given which describe the degree
to which the Police Department's top policy makers are isolated by a
top-heavy bureaucracy from contact with lower-ranking officers. As an
example, the Gnief, an Assistant Chief, and an Inspector stand bet-̂ ./een
the Director and tne Captain in charge of the Internal Affairs Bureau.
This stiructure itself violates the concept that there should be direct
35access to the top in disciplinary matters. Moreover, the figures are
given at page 15 which show that the Departaent has from two to eight
times as many lieutenants and from t’wo and a half to fourteen times as
34. Id. at 15-17.
35. See Chapter V. infra regarding the operation of tl-.c Internal
0 0 0 3 B 5
Affairs Eu7'cau.
16?V
Pars 50 ( C
In the morning or that day a prir.arily v;hit;e Veterans' Day parade
\/as iiald. Police presence '■..•os lijht. A photograp’i shoved no police at
Che intersection of Main and Ad a res . .
That afternoon a primarily blacl; group marched to City Hall, one
in a series of marches connected v;ith protests over school policies
and conditions. Police coverage vas intense. Photographic evidence
snov;ad tnirteen uniformed policem.sn in riot helm.ats and eight motor
cycles on the i.-;oin and A-..ams corrier which had been empty in the morning.
Given such disparities, olacks in Memphis conclude that excessive police
62"protection" becomes intimidation.
I
Tne young black witnesses before the CccimitCee testified to a man
that the normal reaction to the approach of a patrol car is to run, for
fear of the consequences of being stopped by the police. Tne belief
is held by black youths that if they lean into a police car to ans’.;er
questions, cney will be trapped by the neck by a rolled-up .̂’indow and
dragged by the police car. lAiile such a tale may partake of m.j'th to
a certain extent, an adult witness— a professional man of substantial
comiaunity stature — testiiied to seeing such an incident in his own
63 66
youth. Tr.e fear of such torture is real among young blacks, and
this fear is reinforced by the incidents of gratuitous^harassment and
tne often unpleasant consequences. Young black male witnesses testified
to verbal abuse and undignified searches; beatings and shootings occur
all too frequently. Police force in such cases was often not justified
by findings in later judicial proceedings. Charges were either dropped
I
f '
Thes;
Comm.itrue ' s nroccedins
o.̂ . Taese paotographs are exhibits 32,53, and 54 to Volume II of the 00031^ c
63. Ill Hear'r^'s 211 1G78
51
(
c (
or >.oc loosed a; 5 ,;,
_ 0 - Or t,.o,a practices, acd the atteodect
^053 Of police credibiU-v -'-r.> '-'‘2 p03sic'e - 1 c---t. cene>.d.r.i,ul effects of such
cs a L'olice 'o<5'-'-.-oi ■' t
-oor..._ ,ea.ue or Goldoa Gloves fouraatnent are
f]ue5tionable. ,
an ex-..c^_^sr:an testified to the Corrunittea:
Til.. c-....uniLV relations bureau...had ciade
tremendous progress in trying to create a better
. relationship between the-community and the police
ciepartment, but a few man cannot do this....rney
raiGht meet at a specific meeting, they might
’ have some of the cormnunity people there to discuss
issues, and some of the people might decide to
have faith and believe in these people, but when
tne meeting is over, and the people leave and '
val!: outside, and up the street they see a patrol '
car with uniformed officers beating and brutalicing
people, then this doesn't create a favorable image
on tl.ieir oehalf, and they are a little dubious '
about accepting anything that the colic‘s dera-t-^^n^
says.
S e \ . . a l o . e p s must be t ahen by >-he 2 - - = — --n- •> -̂ ?a......eni. in order to establish
' c o m m u n i t y r e I . a t i o n - = ; " a r a
- cructive rorce for positive law
mev t, in contrar. t
I'v en force-
CO Its present impotent for.m:
1. The Department must achnovled - in aAn n <...rJi.ip.e rnmnner its need
. J.V n P p r' {}! j u O'
iG'i'g
REPOnr OF CO'JN’CIL TMVESTIGATIN’G COS'uVITTnF
The Council Invcstiaatir.g Connittoe wcs created pursuant
to a resolution of the Council o£ t!ie City of Mer.phis anted
Sc-otessber S, 1972. The resolution is as follows:
RESOLUTION'
V-’HEREAS, the City Council Police Cocuitteo has
nade its report and recouiraendations concerning
a. police investigation; and
'.vnEREAS, a program of investigation was proposed;
and
bTIEREAS, a cost estimate was presented.
N'O'.'.', THEREFORE, 5E IT RESOLVED that the Council
accents and adopts the report and recorsr.encatior.s
of the Police Committee regarding investigation
of the Memphis Police Department; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council appropri
ates $30,000 from Legislative Division, Bureau
1113, Miscellaneous Contingencies, to City Council,
I Bureau 1101, Line SOS, Lump Sum Appropriation; and
expenditures of said appropriated funds shall have
the prior approval of the Police Committee; and
3E IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council Police
Committee.will require from its investigators fre
quent reports, including financial expenditures,
which will be miade available to the Council: and
BE IT FURT'riER RESOLVED that all news releases pid
comments and reports concerning the investigation
will come only through the Council's Police Com
mittee ; and . . , ,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the investigation should
extend only for a ninety (90) day period^and that
any extensions of time or requests for additional^
appropriations of funds shall be brought to the City
Council and shall not be carried on without a ma
jority vote of the City Council; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLl'ED that a majority vote of the
City Council may terminate the investigation when
ever it appears that further expenditure of time or
funds will produce no further beneficial results.
PURPOSE
Th.o purpose of the Coamitteo has been to investigate
complaints and reports of misconduct by members of the Memphis Police
Department and report the findings to the Council. The action of
the Council in adopting the resolution creating the Committee was
prompted by widespread community concern over possible niscontiuct
and improper activities on the part of some numbers of tno
Police Department.
0 0 0 S U 8
ICS.,
-.h. ii^ctlcr. of oho Coooci'. o»i '-ho r«ool'o-.io„ a.-.Oor
it wji: criiivCd.
INVSSTIGATIVs RHSULTS
A total of ___ complaints or incidents have boon vopc-.v-o.
.0 aooo. Tho:,o oro i.corpor.toa io s.poooo. filos .hioh or. - o o
o„o. Cor.=i-.oo. uofor oop.r-o cover s.bj.cr to iootrcctror.c
r,.„.r tho Co«cil. Th.o. fil.r or. n».ricol!y rdor.r-oc^o.. ...-
of rhU report it cootoi,,.. .Heroin. They sy.oH -or t......
Tho filor toy.' *
Clndo ror.ronc.o to r.oro th.n M individcoio »ho or. bolrovcc ..
ho corrontiy r.or.boro of tho «o.pHio Poiic O.portr.ont. ,.oo p.n-
. • re''at33 to alleg-wj.c..s
: era! nature of the infonaataou xn . -
use of excessive force. Inch of enforcement and .axlu. .
.pond when called, rudeness, harassment. ̂ payoff.
,.;.ed- r'obbery. burglaries, use of narcotxcs , an. ot. > i ...
•or, ---in<it the officers inplicated rou.e'.=>.-',-ilaints. The evidence ».i<.inst
. • - -v is corroborated down to unsupported opinion.£i-o.n that -y/nicn is cerro-o
FIKDIS’GS
contact with members of the Xemphis Police Based upon contact.
. noon the overall experience of the investigation. Department and upon tne
tr.e Committee has made the following binding ^
1. The M..phit nolit. =.I>*rtr..Ht »..d» r.tPr.r... .
« aTT * sHl p •
Chpchl., prpf»rio.a:, ..a - 0-
. Th.r. it PH attltud.-o£ a.f.»rrv...r= PH a*
■a-hpr oftuira of th. «..pHiP f>ii« O.p.rtp.ht, ir.ciPdrhP .
:::: tp ..0^.. ............. .na i - — • . . . h . ...»
p p U c r ^ p r o M - . ^ ^ .£
-V,.- of tho Police Department both in making a r r o ^ --
porno membo.i _ i,.,tonces of dehu..-.-n-
xiter the prisoner is in custody, icerc
r rv^rcons both male and femaie.
i-oing treatment of per . - , p„..,otion--l
4, There is a need for a conpi.^e rov..
160 0 0 0 :< B n
4 -
policies v/ichir. the Police uOpaTtcior.c.
5. Thu st<icus of black officers poses a uCiicce cr.c
i,pccial proliloir.. Many of them feel that they are under tee sup-r-
viaioa of some ir.sesisitive white officers, with the result that
their working conJitions are comparatively more difficult. .•ur:.;er,
there exists little or no policy for promotion of black officers.
6. Serious factional divisions exist in the Police depart
ment which affect the selection of top officers and are generally
detrimental to the efficient functioning of the Department.
7. High ranking, capable, experienced, and highly po._a
officers on the Department are relegated to unproductive policing
r0*6 ̂ •
8. There is an apparent absence of intensive supervision
af officers on duty, particularly on night shirts. .
) ‘ N'o findings are made with respect to tec.nnical or p.o.cj-
s'ional procedures. , - ’
. ' ' RHCO.’-g'iENDATION’S
• 1. The key to a top caliber and successrul Ponce Depart
ment is intelligent.-capable, professional and above all, respected
ICwdorship. It is the strong feeling of a larg- segment of t.-.c
Police Department and many members of the public that the Police
' Department does not have this kind of leadership. The best at
tention of local government should be directed to encouraging t.io
. davclcpnant and employment of highly qualified officers in posi
tions of leadership.
2. Consideration should be given to obtaining a study
end report by an organiiation qualified to make technical ana
professional evaluations, such as the Internation.al Association
of Chiefs of Police.
3. Consideration should be given to the foraation of a
crime commission made up of private cititens. such a.s has success-
♦
fully beer, utilized in Now Orleans.
4. There is' a need for close and rigid supervision of
' iha activities of all police officers by supervisory personnel.
IGP ̂ifj. 00037 n
. s
5. T-orc- i s i need f o / U'lon eut.ve. .c.> o*. >.
e - d deccrncy by ac-r.bers o f th e P o l i c e SenAVt.ie.-.t to - . * . - i
v i ' - u ^ l s w;\en on duty and nc tinp, as p o l i c e o x ' t i c u r s .
6 . A h r o n c t r a i n i n g proevair . , i n c l u d i n g cduonf .o r . i;,
o f t;»u c v e r i l l f - n c t i o n s o f g o v o r n n e n t , as w e l l as
nol ' - c e n e t h o d i and th e b e h a v i o r a l s c i e n c e s , s h o u l d bo i n s t a t e«
and a l l p o l i c e p e r s o n n e l s h o u l d a t t e n d on a r o c u m n s p e r i o c ;
7, Clear and definite steps should be taaan to cs tan ̂ ̂
̂policy and to indoctrinate all police officers against the use
of excessive end unnecessary fores and brutality.
8. A comple te rev iew o f p r o m o t i o n a l p o l i c i e s , in c iu . . - . :^
revising the Civil Service regulations, should be made.
5 , p. complete re-evaluation should be made- oi the stei.us
of black officers with particular emphasis being given to fair
treatment, fair compensation and fair promotional and job assign
ment ' policies . -
10. Evidence of a wide variety of unprofessional and
criminal acts involving present officers of the Police Depavt-
Kunt appears in the files. Efforts should be made to establish
the fitness or unfitness of these officers for service on the
:.'emphis Police Department.
. 11. The methods of seeking information from witnesses by
the Internal Affairs Division should be improved so that a pai.^-
cular witness will not be called upon to make a statement or
• accusation in an atmosphere which does not invite ' disclosure. .•̂w
■ minimum, a change of location from office space in the Police
uviartmcnt is desirable. Further, consideration should be giver,
to'removal of the Internal Affairs Division from the chain cf
couv.ar.d to the Director of Police. Officers should be assignee
e.wrcto either per.r.anently or in such a way that they would not
oe involved'on duty with officers they had previously had under
investigation. •,
12. The Council should recognize the nature of tee ma
t.'.e
terial
1GS.3 / A.
MEMP H I S POLICE A N D THE M I N O R I T Y COiMJTJNI'l'Y:
A CRITIQUE
X h/Xy: t~ ^
Prepared by
Comraunity Relations Service _
United States Department of Juŝ tic.e
May ,1974
1G3 . { r !) ‘J ‘y ‘ -U 'j' o ( I-'
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Page
I. Introduction
A. Background
B. Staffing
C. Distribution Characteristics
D. Employment Conditions
E. Summary
II. Minority Employment and Hiring
A. Selection Process
B. Current Recruitment Efforts
C. Barriers to Minority
Employment
t
III, Training
A. Training Structure • •
B. Curriculum
C. Academy Staff
IV, Complaint Procedure
A. Internal Affairs
B, Polygraph
V. Policies, Procedures and
•Communications
VI. Police-Community Relations
A, Existing Program
B. Programs •
VII. . Use of Firearms
VIII. Concluding Observations
1
1
3
4
5
6
8
11
13
18
20
21
23
26
29
31
32
34
36
uoo;';7:i
1 6 ”O J
PREFAC2
ay, mo^ ::han ever before, the police system
is being exam-: and changes advocated. There is
a groining t.'-ndci‘ to question the ability of the
police sy?iom to t the challenge of change. However,
it should be recf' ized that the current "crisis" of the
■Dclice is not un •- the crisis facing other social
institutions. oed, our legislative bodies, courts,
correctional sy? m, educational institutions, public
managementarc all experiencing dilemmas. Many of tlie
problems of the police, however, appear to be solvable--
but to do so will require constructive action on the part
of the police department, city government,- and the general
public. Mere criticism, without a commitment to construc>.ive
action is not the answer'.
This CRS survey serves as an example of what can be
done to assist the Memphis Police Department (MPD) to
develop more effective relations with its minority community.
The survey resulted from an offer Mr. Ozell Sutton, Southeast
Regional Director of the Community Relations Service (CRS)
made to Mr. J. W. Hubbard, Director of the Police Department,
City of Memphis, to provide mediation assistance to the
police and black community. The survey includes, but is
1 6 S u
00037'1
not limited to, the following areas: pclice-communit/
relations, firearms policies, recruitment of minority
officers, training, and deployment.^
Submission of this survey concludes one of three
phases leading to formal mediation. The workshop, to be
conducted on iMay 25, 1974, is the second phase of the
process of further identifying and isolating police/community
problems. The third phase--that of formal negotiations
aimed at resolving the differences through constructive
action--is scheduled to begin following the workshop.
This approach on the part of the MPD is most certainly
commendable and consistent with the Standard 1.4 of tne
Police Report of the National Advisory Commission on
Criminal Justice Standards and Goals (Goals Commission)
which reads in part:
Every police agency that has racial and^
ethnic minority groups of significant_sxze
within its jurisdiction should recognize
their police needs and should, where
appropriate, develop means to insure
effective communication with such groups.
The methodology for conducting the survey consisted
of on-site observations, personal and group interviews
i
and the review of copious amounts of printed material.
In reviewing this report, however, the reader should keep
11
000;575
1607
in mind that although the survey represents a cooperative
effort on the part of the CRS survey team and the M?D ii.
does not represent an in-depth survey-or extensive revxew
of the various related sources. . Such an activity would
require several weehs to complete, for whicn the time fraiue
did not allow.
The survey was conducted hy CRS conciliator Fred Crawa.ord,
•of the Atlanta, Georgia, regional office. He was assisted
by CRS consultants Professor Edward Morgan, chairman of uhe
department of criminal justice of New York State University
at Buffalo, and Dr, Lee Brown, associate director of the
institute of urban (affairs and research at Howard University,
Washington, D.C.
CRS expresses its sincere appreciation to Director Hubbard
and the many members of the MPD, city officials and the
various members of the community for their cooperation and
input.
Ill
()on;57;;
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Background
The shooting death o£ a black by a white has never
caused such a dainaging and lasting effect on a city, a
nation, or a people, as the assassination of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., in Memphis in 1968. That death was
instrumental in widening the chasm between the black and
.white communities of that city. Directly related to this
is the fact that in Memphis, as v/ell as other cities
throughout tlie nation, blacks have also been killed by law
enforcement officials and with few exceptions such cases
have been ruled justifiable homicide. Although such
instances are hot as prevalent today as they were in che
past, other forms of abuse are still being experienced
by blacks. In fact, the MPD has a history of conflict
with the black community. Without going into details,
let it suffice to say that today the conflict is mani”
festing itself in several ways:
--inherent distrust of the police by many segments
of the black community ,
--the negative image of the police affecting minority
recruitment
--tension between the police and the black communicy
0 0 0 3O ( (
1603
;pici^. o£ 'blacks by .aany policemen.
W' > such -ackdrop, the Memphis City administration
movcu to ame: s overall police, image and modify certain
police op-...aLio 1 procedures. The-first positive move was
to hire Mr. J. 'ubbard, retired Marine Corps General,
as Director of Police in 1972. However, the distrust was
greatly accentuated by the recent (December 13735 acquittal
of eight law enforcement officers who had been charged in
the fatal beating of a blach youth, Elton Kayes, in 1371.
Many blacks saw this as an indication that the life of a
black is insignificant in the eyes of the "system".
Community organizations, civil rights groups and
individual citizens responded quite vocally to the announced
acquittal. The Memphis 'chapter of the NA.1CP requested the
U.S.'Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, to make ̂
a thorough and Independent investigation into both tne deaon
and the subsequent trial. The U.S. Attorney's ofiice for
the Western District of Tennessee (Memphis) initiated
preliminary inquiries'into the case.
1 1 .w,_ rninmunitv unrest stemming fromThe CRS responded wO tne commuiii. /
the acquittal. Subsequently, the agency offered to provide
■ mediation assistance to the MPD andblack community, which
both accepted.
i } 0 0 3 7 ( ;
IG'"
Ein'ployge benefits are coiriT̂ etiuive m all câ -egories.
These factors should not cause difficulties in recruicmenu
or retention. However, the infrequency of promotional
opportunities is not conducive to the retention Ox the
most intelligent, dynamic, and highly educated officers.
Minority repr’esentatiori in the officer ranks is_op.iX
10.05 percent.*
MPD is currently undergoing a major reorganization.
Significant clianges have occurred and others are in the
various stages of planning. Inherent in such activities
is an element of insecurity and instability on the part
of employees. ' This -often brings a reaction of tenaciousxy
adhering to the status quo irrespective of its consequences.
* See Table I.
0 0 0 ^ 7 a
II. MINORITY EMPLOYMENT 'AND HIRING
A. Selection Pro'c'ess
The Memphis .Police Department has eliminated .the
written entrance examination as a selection device. Somie
have applauded this, claiming that since the state-of-the-
art relative to examinations is such that .'.there does not
exist an exam that is both predictive of job performance
and at the same time culturally unbiased.
Although statistics were not available, it was felt
by those interviev;ed that prior -to its elimination, the
written examination was a major stumbling buoclc to ,ma.norxty
employment. i .
As listed on the Civil Service notice for the position
of patrolmen, the qualifications are as follows:
Minimum of two years of college (^8 semester
hours or 72 quarter hours); ability to make
written reports; ability to pass required mental, medical, physical and agility tests.
Minimum age of 21 years; must be courteous,
loyal, emotionally mature and stable; good appearance and speech; alert v/ith keen pov/ers
of observation; aptitude for investigational
work; high moral standards.
Applicants meeting the above qualifications enter into
the selection process as follows:
) 0 0 3 8 (
GG.-
1. Obtain •A'opli'c'afI'on: Applications'.for .'the position,
must be obtained and returned to the .Personnel
Division in City Hall. . Applications are not .avail
able in the police department or any .iother place
■ in the city/-.but are available from the police
recruiting team,
2. Fingerprints; Applicants must be fingerprinted
by the police department. At' that ..time they, fill-
«
out a personal history form which will bemused by
the-police department in making its background
investigation.
3. Me di cal Ex amin at ion: Arrangements for the medical
examination are made by the personnel division.
The City has aTcontract with the Mid-South Medical
Association (a group of doctors) to perform this
service at no cost to the applicant.
4. Background Investigation; A background investi
gation is conducted by a.lieutenant .who works out
of the same office as the polygraph examiners.
5. Agility Test: The agility .test .is administered
by the police department and consists of .ten
exercises each having a maximum point .value oi
ten points. A score of seventy points minimum
is passing. The exercises, are as follows:
0 0 0 3 o J .
1G.0
10
o -ility Jumps
o Back Stretch --
o Broad Jump
o' Dips
o Balance Beam
o Hand Walk Parallel Bars
o Situps
o Chin Ups
o Push Ups
o Half Kile Run
6, Polygraph examinations: The polygraph examination
is administered by MPD*
'I. Psychological Test: The psychological examination
is administered by contractual arrangement, bj
Middle Tennessee State University. There are three
exams used; (1) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory, (2) Otis Quick Score, and (3) Occupational
Interest Survey. It should be noted that this test
is not administered until the applicants are j.n the
Police Academy training program.
8. Oral Interviews; The oral interview board, appointed
by the Director of Police, is composed of two police
officials and_one staff member from the City's Per-,
sonnel Division.
0 00 3 o : ^
11
Af pllcarr fail .m-.y stage of the preceding
select! . proce; Those who complete the entire process
by the Personnel Division and given
lice. The list is not a priority
ates— rather they are listed alpha-
'i3,o'7» 'of Police has the authority 1--Q
he list.
are placed on a
to the D i r e ’’i.or oT
ranking of *'ne cat'
betically. The' D:i
appoint a n y one 'fr
Once appoints the applicant enters into the Police
Academy which is ,1.' ...d about three times a year. If he com
pletes the academy, he serves a 1-year probationary perioo.
B. Current' Recruitment' Efforts
Similar to many police agencies throughout the nation,
only recently has Î ?D embarked upon a systematic recruitment
program. It was even more recent that it has voicea .its
concern about the disproportionate number of minority employees.
Although the black population of Memphis is 39 percent of the
total population, only 10 percent of the police officers are
black. In the officer ranks (lieutenant to director), the
figures are worse. Only 3-1 percent of the officers are
black with no blacks holding a rank above captain.
[i -.j U P' 'h
16G.* j
12
Table III ■
Personnel Deo loyment by Rank and Race
Rank ■ Total . Ivriite Black
Patrolman 627 536 91
V/arrant Officer 20 20 0
Sergeant 239 222 17
Lieutenant 15 A 1A9 5
Ca;)tain A9 A 7 2
Inspector 12 12 0
Chief Inspector 3 3 0
Deputy Chief 3 3 0
Chief 1 1 0
Director 1 1 0
Four sergeants comprise the police departments biracial
recruitment team. To date, that team has _directed the
majority of its efforts to an extensive out-of-town recruit
ment drive. Because of the department’s college requirement,
the focus has been on college campuses. Although no Oxfj.Ca.al
policy has been issued stating that minority recruitm.ent is
a priority, the team has visited 7 predominately black colleges.
Out-of-town recruitment efforts have not been as successxul
as desired, especially with respect to the hiring of minoritiec.
This is recognized by the recruiting team and they attr-xbu^e
that fact to their inexperience in out-of-town recruitment.
The recruiters have been even less successful in attracting
minority candidates from the local colleges. MPD’s cadet
program, which began last September, is looked upon as a major
' source for recruitment. Of the 35 positions in the program
(some have dropped out for various reasons) approxxmacely AO
oooaa'i
IG o ^
...— I
percent is black. • Efforts ,to . recruit ..blacks from .the'..local
high schools '.into the.cadet program hav-e- been .unsuccessful.
Hostility of, black high school students and peex' .pressure
seem to account- for this.
Other local recruitment efforts consist of placing ada
in ne'.vspapersj public service announcements on radio and
televislonj and support from the Chamber of.Commerce.
Minority newspapers and radio pr’ograms have been used
periodically.
Effective June 3, 197^, 80 cipplicants are prepared to
enter the Police Academy. Of that number, 38 are minorities—
32 black males,.5 females and 1 American Indian.
C. Barriers to Minority Employment
<•
The essential Ingredient for a successful minority
recru-ltment program is sincerity and commitment on tne part
of the chief executive officer to increase the minority
representation in his department, 'without that commitn.eno,
no minority recruitment program will be successful, at is
felt that such a commitment is present in the form of tne
existing police director. Nevertheless, there still exist ■
certain barriers that limit the number of minority police
officers in the MPD. These barriers are as follows—
— Two Year College Requirement
The requirement that applicants for the .position .of
lecv
(if!
14
! patrolman v/ith MPD. have 2 years of college is,consistent
;vith conternpoirary police thought. The ■'Natioiial Aovisory
Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals, for
example, 1'j.as a standard that reads in part:
Every police agency "should require_immediately,
as a condition of.initial employment, the com.-
pletion of at least 1 year of education (30 semester units) at an accredited college or
university.
The Commission goes on .to recommend that entrance
requirements be Increased so that by 1975 î ̂ is 2 years,
1978, 3 yearsj and 1982, 4 years.
The justification of this .trend by the police is based
upon the increased educational level of the soca.ety and
the desire of the police, to achieve a status of professionallsui.
There are those who oppose such educational requirements.
The opposition is based primarily on the fact that no empirical
evideiice has )been presented to show that a college education
makes a better' policeman, nor that a college requirement, is
related to,;job performance.
This survey indicates that college requirements .lor
entrance into the .MPD has had impact on the MPD's ability to
attract minority applicants and severely limits tne recruiting
market.
I
— Inadequate Recruitment Program
Successful minority hiring is directly related.to an
I
i
0 0 1 'A O v'
pO '1 0 o j
1 effective luinority recruitr.ient .program. Recruitment .efforts
I of MFD are currently ..divided.Ibetween the .City ..Personnel
• Division and the .department.. The recruitment efforts of the
I Personnel Division consistImainly‘of what can best .be called
the ''shotgun'* approach. It.posts job announcements, places
ads in papers .and loccaslonally .runs ;ads .in police .journals.
Such an effort over the words "Equal Oppox’tunlty Employers,"
it is felt, hardly meets the needs of the MPD.
As indicated at the beginning of this survey, the MPD
does not enjoy a good image in many parts .of the minority
community. This fact becomes very significant ..when viewed
in context of recruiting minority applicants.
-•-Polygraoh Examination
Although no statistical evidence is .available to support
the charge, it was the consensus of many interviewed that
about 75 percent' of the black applicants who are tested by
the polygx'aph examiner fall. If this is the case, tiie writuen
examination as an artificial barrier to minority hiring has
been replaced by the polygraph examination.
— Background liive'st igati'on
There is no evidence that the background investigation
conducted by the MFD impacts negatively on black applicants.
(However, experience elsewhere has shown this to oe a major
problem. Por.that reason, the potential of the.problem is
115
1
on 0 : 3 87
160j
expressed ir. .this. SLU'vey.) . !
— Abse'n.;e' of T̂ Ilho'r’i'ty''Superior' QiTlc'e.rs
As noted in Teole IXI, IbnlyP'^rcent .of .the officers
in the W?D are black. This .fact .represents a serious barrier
to minority recruitTr.ent and .retention. Young.blacks who may
consider employment with ,the ;.?4?D may ̂ decide otherwise,
feeling that'.their opportunities Tor advancement are'limited.
— Non-Exir.tene'e' oT 'A'ffir'inat'iVe' Action ’Flan
An affj.rmative action plan establishing obtainable
goals for minority recruitment and promotion. Including
civilian employees, does not exist. The Police Report of
\,'ae Stand,ards and Goals Commission states:\
Every police .agency should engage in positive
elTorts to employ ethnic minority grdup members.
Viien a substantial ethnic, tainoritŷ population resides vrithin the Jurisdiction, the police agency should take affirmative action to achieve
a ratio of minority group employees in approximate' proportion to t’ne makeup of the popuj-ation.
Other barriers found in the course of the survey inciude
the failure to— ^
o Utilise the Community Service Officer and Community
Service Aide Positions as Minority Recruitment
Positions
o Distribute Applications at Police Facilities
o Utilize Minorities on Oral Interview Board
o Assign Recruitment Responsibility to a Specific
Individual Tno Can Be Held Accountable i-or xu
0 0 0 3 3 1 ^
iVJ
\
17
0 Utilize Minority Citizens in MPD Positions Which
Could Be Filled 3y Civilians .__
o Use Minority Oi’f’icers to Conduct BacKgx ound
Investigations
(>n o '> V C: U v> -JiJ u ’.
IVC.
‘ i
c - i : A i . - L - - ; - ; ' - u -
"(;l;a;;[i i a;;s or TiiE quo:;; c i t y "
JO!;;: E, i rccrscLL Cii icr of police
(•:< . ; ;
4 'rc!.'M. crccr ;r;. 3 Revi sed Seiucrrber 2J, I3 .3 7 i
!iI »
li
i!
V.
I
I
II
II
i!
•I .
I :
su3j ::ct; t>::e use or force oy police orriCERS
r.':.E?.'rd'JL ■ I"'- SLolo or i lortli Cr;rolino spec i f i c o ! 1 y lirr.ius ii ic use of
Tci c-.! ;;/ po 1 i c e o! 1 ir.crs, \.!icn 0 po! Ice o f i i c c r coos beycoci the .1 i.'.iirs setity- I
leqor is p r o t e c t e o by h i s o f r i c o and ti i 5 bedc;e; Ire is no longer ir'ĉ un' ̂ tonci
Cc ur 1 r. 0 n cj l ega l counse 1
n Jo ri;: Tna law di
11 ̂ • fV rr!“cyy" :re a n s . f o r
p’i r i iig a gu n i s always d
o f f i c c r was iV.e r e ly to fr
o f V 1 C 1: r has used dead 1 y
• .... CW
A p o l i c e o f i ' i c c r who us e s f or c e in e x c e s s or that a l l c w c d or wi-,o
u s e s f o r c e in a s i t u a t i o n where i t is not por r i i t t e d i s l i a b l e f or dairaocs to th.e
our s e n c'icainsc vorccr rorce i s used and is sui j j ec t to c r iminal p r o s e c u t i o n .
Thc^purpose o f t h i s order is to e x p l a i n t h e s e l i m i t a t i o n s o f the law upon the use
o f f o r c e so ti-.et tire o f f i cc-r may perform h i s d u t i e s c o n f i d e n t l y and w i s c i y and
not sub-jcct liir-.selv to cr iminal or c i v i l l i a b i l i t y . It s l iou’ d bo very c l e a r that
t i n s d i r e c t i v e is based upon the law of the s t a t e as I n te rnre! eri !rv ;',-,rrh
______ _____ x'ld n 0 n - cl c a d 1 v' f o r c r;.
rely to caus e s e r i o u s pi iys i co! injury or death. ,
rorce . It makes no d i r f e r c n c e ir t!ie i n t e n t of tire
' '^Cu.C>:'CbAs!.bl^ is any o t he r phys ica I f o r c e . i n c l u d i n g the use o f the baton and
t h e crr-mical i iaca. However, they coul d be used in such a way as t o c o n s t i t u t e
de ad l y f o r c e ,
ntCT-en t o f the !.--w: 1
I • flPil-DEAnLV FORCE.
A, The o f f i c e r may use o n l y that amount o f non- deadl y f o r c e which is
iLfe-Rtd2rxehJd,LJiec.”^n^rv for the accompl i shment o f h i s m i s s i o n . If a p e a c e f u l j
means i s at h i s d i s p o s a l and w^ould s e r v e as w e l l , he must use I t . j
B. Wnen making a lawful a r r e s t , the o f f i c e r may use t hat amount o f nc n- de adl y
f o r c e h.c reasonably b e l i e v e s n e c e s s a r y to overcome r e s i s t a n c e , but rQ.
rnn.i-f than t h a t .
D,
E.
To pr e ve nt an a r r e s t e e from e s c a p i n g the o f f i c e r may use that em.ount o f
no n- de a d i y f o r c e rcascnabl y n e c e s s a r y to h a l t him.
To prevent a crime or breach o f tlie pe ac e the o f f i c e r may use t hat amount
o f non- deadl y f o r c e r easonably n e c e s s a r y t o do so.
Sl-cifCarv: Mon-deadly f orc e may be used by the o f f i c e r in the performance
o f h i s d u t i e s w.hcn re.-i^ongl̂ 1 o and •f'-' ĉes s.-u-v. Unnecessary f o r c e or
unr e a s o na b l e harshness w i l l toke the o f f i c e r o u t s i d e the p r o t e c t i o n o f th: 1 ov;.
1
' J
IVCJ niijtjf'f/■'' *. ■ T. / » * \ •
0 M
I !■
I
I i
I
lA'.. I 'D. <■ - ? - )A:vi;;rjrI 2 -} !■ j 7
A. T!iC o r f i r c T roy use c'-J';c!ly rofc.o c:',!y _ r r - - r - - v - c i c i ' c . - ' J
hir.ir'.cir cr c.-.ciher person n-'-nins'e ipA-r'/ or dco l h .
B. T!ie o f f i c e r rr.rr/ use denciiy f o r c e wl'.en r.'.ckinp o lewful n r r e s t for n
_Lifru (fAirdcr, n;ons lou'| ii':er , nr.Teri robbery , f o i ' c i b l e
rope, V ! rs t ■■cegree burpl ory , orrci i , !; i c'nnpp i no , o s s o u l l v.'iUi i n t e n t to
l ; i l ! , ond a s s o u l t v.’iti'. i nt e nt to rope) o n l y v.-i-ien i t i s r c c s onob l y
n c c c s s o r y , Agoin, i f e f f e c t i v e pc . scefe l rr.cons ore o v o i l e b l o , they r.ust
be used.
C. To prevent on o r r e s t c c for o f c l c n y dongerous to bunion l i f e free: f l e e i n g
or e s c o p i n g , the o f f i c e r may use de ad l y f o r c e o n l y vdien rcar-cnobly
n e c e s s a r y ,
D. The o f f i c e r moy use deadly force, to p r e v e n t the cemm i ss i on o f a f e l o n y
. dsi’.gercu s to human l i f e o n l y v.lten i t i s nf. n r- i ' b 1 c e. s n r .
L. Bub!Ic S a f e t y .
1. k'a m in f ’ Shot s . V.'hen deadl y f o r c e i s l e g a l l y p e r m i s s i b l e , as o u t l i n e d
above , the o f f i c e r may f i r e o warning s h o t . He rroy not f i re a
warning si'-.ot under any o t h e r c i r c u m s t a n c e s . The danger to Innocent
bys t ande r s must be taken Into c o n s i d c r a t i o n : the. warning s hot
. 2 .
■ I
I ;
1
F.
would endanger t hos e nearby, i t i s not r ? e n f-) 1 v n c c e r s r'/ ̂ one is
not a lawful use o f deadl y f o r c e . j
Cal l f or A s s i s t n n e o . The r u l e s p e r t a i n i n g to warning s h o t s app l y ,
e >xept : i f t he o f f i c e r Is de f e n d i n g l i i ms e l f cr onothier from, personal
danger l£SjL thron that vdiich would a l l c w tlie use o f de ad l y f o r c e , nun
f i r i n g a gun does not c r e a t e a danger to o t he r pe r s o n s , and th,ere is
' no o t he r to sum.r.'cn a s s i s t a n c e , ti ie o f f i c e r may f i re a si iot as a
c a l l f or a s s i s t a n c e .
. i
3 . Movi np V n h i c i g s . Even when the us e o f deadly f o r c e i s a l l o w e d , f i r i n g
a t a n'.oving v e h i c l e c r e a t e s such a s e r i o u s danger t ha t the o f f i c e r
s houl d o n l y do so;
. ( a ) If t h e r e i s a s e r i o u s and immediate danger t o human l i f e u n l e s s
. .th.s V e h i c l e i s s t op pe d at o n c e , or;
(b) The area i s such t ha t i f the v e h i c l e gees out o f c o n t r o l i t
, would not endanger i nnocent b y s t a n d e r s .
Summary: Deadly f o r c e may o n l y be used when d e a l i n g w i t h f e l o n i e s
dangerous to human l i f e , or when d e f en d i n g o n e s e l f or anot her a g a i n s t
s e r i o u s b o d i l y harm or deat h , and tl isn o n l y vdnen re as onabl e and n e c e s s a r y .
Di sc l i arging a f i r e arm in any o t h e r s i t u a t i o n i s an unlawful us e of deadly
f o r c e .
1 MCi •1 i V J
0 0 0 3 ! U
! I 1. 1 MI. i. - . i . -• f;-:'';; -r 7S . iS'7
i
r~ r O -r r ny ^r-i ir r n r - r^ri-nnr.rp!' rni L
A. 1 f the o f f
a c her gc G
sho e l d be 1
D. If tl'.e o f f
Sui I ! c :; :)c c'rrr'ro r T C-r> i r t.c.ncc; to j 11o l. I f y 1 L ing ufficor, Clicsc.- chiff'C-s
) . Tl-ic oi I iccT v.-i I 1 tr.-l;c tho p r i r c n e c d i r e c t l y to the h o s p i t o l i f
f t cdi co l cr tcr . t i cn i s r e qu i r e d . If he i s . in coobt r.s to the n c c e s s i t ' -
o f r.c-dicei treetrr.cnt lie i:i 11 ' irr~Gci i o t a ly c ont oc t the S h i f t Cor,-.-.;ond''r'
f o r a o c c i s i c n .
2. The o f f i c a r v/i 1 ! in-iredlacolv suhrr.it lA Fern i.'o. 5 (U.tusuo ! Force) to
h i s s upe r v i s or v.ho wi 1 1 ■ forward c o p i e s to the Chief o f P o l i c e , th=
D i v i s i o n Cc.~“ar.der, the Eureou Certronde r , end the Int crno l A f f a i r s
S e c t i o r u
• t
! j
i ir ‘*• i
* I
wi l l a l s o be
c f V i cer uses
.7; i ca i 2 jCi) t 3 1
en ior o f f i C2 r
Corrplaints by injured pe r s ons w i l l be hondlcd in accordance wi t h S p e c i a l
Order Mo. 2$.
IV, COMCLUS in:.! Vv
A po.l i ce o f f i c e r is the o n l y person e n t r u s t e d wi t l i the power t o use f o r c e
a g a i n s t anot her person.^ Gecausc o f the e n t r a o r d i n a r y dangers i nherent in
t h i s power, the law s t r i c t l y d e f i n e s and l irr. its i t s u s e . The p o l i c e o f f i c e r ,
Wi.o wi w. ds t h i s t.v.eso.T.e power, must c o n s t a n t l y be avrare o f i t s l i m i t a t i o n s
f o r h i s p r o t e c t i o n and the p r o t e c t i o n o f the p u b l i c .
I I
\ \
a b o v e , (
a g e n t . In j
, or I
\ I
-f M»r,-L i V £
OAKJ.ANU )CMC;::
ilii;.; ■ ............! y.l I— 3
u i;r A i; r?.: f::;r y / .dr//;/̂ v Arrcf'POLJcc ^c . r. , 0 A \ u, c H I r:
F - i L i C E / r » ‘ i N ; > T < 1 r. ■: t . 1 1 : > * c , 7 t h s t . . c a ’- u o - ' ^ i A '•.i::j
October 21, 1970
Koycc. A. I'incher, Jr., Esq.
Lc£;al Advisor
San Jose Police Bepartr.cnC
San Jose, California 95110
Dear Royce:
The Chief v.’ill net perir.it ire to release our r.enorar.dum on the use
of deadly force by peace officers, as it is still in need of sor.e revisions.
I an authorized to send you, hov;ever, a copy of vh.cat we consider a "nodel”
re£ulation on the use of deadly force:
Deadly force by peace officers is permissible when it is
reasonably believed to be necessary:
(1) in defense of their cirn or another's life,
(2) to effect a. felony arrest when the use of such
force crc:ates no substantial risk of injury' to
innocent persons,' 'and .
(a) the felony for v;hich the arrest is made
' ■ ■ involved conduct (i) that included the
■ ; use or threatened use of , deadly force,
(ii) that, by its nature, created a sub-
i stantial risk of death or serious bodily
harm, or
(b) there is a substantial risk that the ■
person to be arrested for a felony v.’ill
cause death or serious bodily harm if
his apprehension is delayed.
/iS I mentioned to you yesterday, this model is taken substantially
from the HODEL PEN7X CODE with the one minor addition that appears in
Paragraph (2) (a) (ii) . That provision v;as added to include offenses such
as kidnaping that night not, in a particular case, involve the use or
threatened use of deadly force, but that by its nature does pose a substantial
risk of death or serious harm.
V^hat all this com.es down to, of course, is very simply stated: OFFICERS
SHOULD USE DE'uOLY FORCE ORLY V.IIEU NECESSARY TO DEFEND LIFE OR TO PROTECT
PEPvSONS FROM SERIO’JS BODILY HAPdI. It is no secret that Chief Gain considers
this a model deadly force policy, and thus you may cite his views, if you have
occasion to. The Oakland General Order, as you know, does not read this
1 Mn ■ -L / U ̂
0(K)an->
v.'cy, but i l s pr. ict icr. ] e Cf c c t i s to c'ocor.p.l.ish the: same I ' c s u l t s . I t i s f or
t l iat roa.vcn t l i c t u'c hove n e i t h e r token the e f f o r t to I 'cv ise G eneral Order
K-3 nor f orr . u l a t cd any p lan s to do s o in the f o r e s e e a b l e f u t u r e .
\ ’i t h c o r d i a l regard , I atn
Very t r u l y y o u r s ,
C. R. GAIN
C h ie f o f P o l i c e
^ ♦
Linda A. Moody
L e g a l Ad v i s or
L/AI;h =
cc: Herbert I7echsler, Esq.
Director, The Ar.erican Lav Institute
0 0 0 3 0 4
1706*
r'v.if-n-
P C J L I C : A D M I X I S T I i A T I O N C U I L D I N G • 435 - 7TH S T R E l T • O A K L A M D , C A L I F O R N I A 9-;00;
Po’.'Ce Ocpjrlmcni
December 29, 1971
Mr. Ronald D. Krelstein, Legal Advisor
Memphis Police Department
12S A.dams Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee
Dear Mr. Krelstein:
3810'
I regret the delay in replying to your inquiry and I 'nope the
material I am supplying will be of benefit to you.
Our policy on the use of firearms has recently undergone some
rex'isicn. Generally, firearms may be discharged in self-
defense and in the apprehension of felons, except burglars,
auto thieves and juveniles. The enclosed General Order IC-3
outlines our policy and describes our Board of Review of
disc’narge of firearms. If this does hot ansv/er all your
questions, please do not hesitate to write.
Oakland Municipal Code Chapter 5-11 describes in detail our
policies as regards private watchmen. Probably no further
ihformation should be needed, but let us know if you have additional questions.
Y/e also have been confronted with the question of disclosure
of police information to private citizens. Our response to
that question relies on §§ 6250, 6256 and 6258 of our Govern
ment Code, and § 6319 of the Labor Code; also, by analogy,
§ 11105 of the Penal Code. Our policy has not been written,
but it exists as follows: Arrest records arc released only
to criminal justice agencies, such as district attorney's
offices, the courts or probation departments, and other police
departments, and, finally, as directed by subpoena. Copies
of reports of vehicle thefts and burglaries are made available
to complainants and insurance companies, but they are xeroxed
in such a way that no information about the suspect or the
officer’s comments are reproduced. The only information re
turned to the person requesting the copy is the information
given by the complainant: his name, description of the loss,
etc. No other information is made available to the public.
1 ̂ ' r. '
U- ) u I
fU){) w M
},Ir. Ronald D. }lrelstein -2- Doccjnber 29, 1371
h o w e v e r , r e m a i n s 5 ;onewhat
'.G. V . Superior Cour
jrpreta tion
827 (related
The matter of juvenile records,
coniused. Tlio recent case of T. __ ____________
Cal. 3d 7o7 (May 6, 1371) lias nresentod a new in
of V.’clfa.re fc Institutions Code §§ G7G, 781 and
to disclosure of juvenile records), (1) to "permit the juve
nile, who lias been tcniporarj.ly detained by the authorities
and subsequently released without further procceding-s, not
only to deny that he has been arrested, but, also, to deny
that he has been detained or otlierw'ise subjected to juvenile
court proceedings," and (2) to "establish the Juvenile Court
as the sole arbiter of when and in what circumstanccjjuvenile
records may be released to third parties including state
agencies." Tiie court is now preparing an order, which v/e will forward to you wlien it is completed.
Vf'e are now considering the circum.stances wherein it might
be appropriate to release criminal records to members of tin press.
I hope that we have been of assistance to you and look for-v/ard to coxiy of your finished v/ork.
Sincerely yours.
(3. R. Gain
Chief of Police
„ / . / ’
Linda A. Moody //
Legal Advisor
LAiM: p s
Enclosure
Vu;-
1 '•'rio1 ̂ U O
Oi'î’icz OF CHir:F of police
Oakland Police Doparta.ent
SPECIAL ORDER L’O. 1072
DATE: 9 Jul GS
TO: All Personnel
SUBJECT: DISCHARGE OF FIREAR.MS
Departmental General Order K-3 (DISCHARGE OF
FJREAPuMS) is being reviewed. Until sucii time
as the review is coaipletodj menibers shall not
discharge firearms for the purpose of effect
ing the capture of, or preventing the escape
of, a person whom the member has reasonable
cause to believe has conimitted a burglarj',
automobile theft, or any -felon}'- violation^of
the California Vehicle Code, and the member
has no reasonable cause to believe the person has committed any other felony.
of the other provisions of Departmental General Order K-3 remain in effect. '
By order of
00 Go; 17
1703
OFFICE OF CHIEF OF POLICE
O.ikland Police Depavtij'.cct
ME:,:oiLixr)u:,i
TO: All Personne 1 DATE; 29 Jun 67
L'CT; Revision of General Order 60-54, DISCILiRGEOF FIPuE-ULMS (K-3, 1 Sep 63)
The subject order, first issued 3 Dec 58, has beea
extensively revised to provide additional regulations
regaining the discnarge of firearr.s, to nore precisely
delineate tne tuncticn of the Board of Keview, and
to establish procedures regarding the disposition of Board of K.evievs' findings and reports.
Command officers shall reviev/ the contents of this
order v/ith all their subordinate personnel.
All personnel shall place the revised order in thGeneral Order Manuals,
necessary No indexing changes are ear
uoosijr
I V 1 0
X . / . ^ i— T V A v * . r U ; J . V . , i j i b i V I . U i 2 9 ■lun 07
Index as:
Discin'.rge of Firearms
Firoar::'.3, Disclnargc of
1 V.’eapons, Discliarge of
Date first issued;
Revised :
r>
I Dec 5E
C) C p vy
DISCib\RG.E OF FI REA Ibis
The purpose oi rhis order is to state regulations, reportinr-- oroc'"-.'j
and investijjutive procedures governing tiie discliarge of fire'' Departmental members.
I. POLICT
m s 0 V
II.
A,
B.
Tne policy of this Department is that members shall exhaust
every other moans before resorting to the use of firearms.
Policy and regulations governing the discharge of fircar.ms are needed lor the lollowing rea.sons;
1. To iniorn members of when they are authorized to
use firearms in the performance of a police duty.
2
3,
To preclude the unnecessary discharge of firearms.
To protect the lives and property of the public as well as members of the Department.
REGULATIONS
A.
1
Fireaims may oe discharged in the perfoinnance of a police
duty only under the following circumstances and subject to the additional restrictions in Part II, B.
1,
2.
4,
5.
At an approved range.
Vhen killing seriously v/ounded or dangerous animals Y.'here other disposition is impractical.
V.'hen .necessary in the defense of their own lives when
all other available means have failed. ■
When necessary in the defense of another person's" life when all other available means have failed.
V.’hen necessary to effect the capture of, or prevent the
escape of, a person known of believed by the member to
be an adult whom the member has reasonable cause to
believe has committed a felony, when all other reasonable
means have failed. However, firearms shall not be dis-"
charged if the member has reason to believe, based upon
the attendant circumstances, that the discharge may
endanger the lives of passersby or other persons not
involved in the crime from which flight is beinn- made or attempted.
■Pago 1 of 5 pages
a . Vi'i’.cn used in
as a person '
}3. Firear ms shall not
1■X« As a warning.
2. At a person Icnow:
1
29 ,
- - J t;:o v.'oi’d ''adult" isyears of age or older.
ged under the follov'ing
Rev.
defined
age of IG years unless necessary in the defense of the
neinber's life or another person's life v/!ien all other
reasonable means have failed.
a. The member's knowledge or belief of a person's age
nay bo based upon factors such as his previous knowledge
of the parson, his observations of the person's appear
ance or upon reliable information imparted to liin by other persons.
3 ,
A
In any misdeme case.
From a moving vehicle or at a moving or fleeing vehicle
except as follows:
a. Vrhen necessary in the defense of a member's life or
another person's life v/hen all other reasonable
means have failed.
b. Vi'hen necessary to effect the capture of, or prevent
the of, a person known or believed by the member
to be an adult whom the member has reasona'ole cause
to believe has committed' a felony when all other reason
able means have failed. However, firearms shall still
not be discharged if the member has reason to believe,
based upon the attendant circumstance.s, that the
discharge may endanger the lives of passers’oy or
■ . other persons not involved in the criir.e from which
flight is being made or attempted.
:il. REPORTING AND INVESTIGATION OF FIREAPOIS DISCMRGING
A. Whenever a. member discharges his firearm either accidentally
or officiall}'-, except at an approved range, he shall notify
an on-duty command officer of his organizational unit as
soon as possible. If a command officer is not on duty in his
organiza.tional unit at the time, the member shall notify the
command officer of the Patrol Division.
1. In addition to notifying a com.mand officer, the member
shall submit a detailed written report of the circumstances
, throiigh channels to the Chief of Police.
3. A command officer shall personally investigate the report of
the firearm discharge. He shall submit a detailed written
report of the results of the investigation tlirough channels to
the Chief of Police. The report s;\all also contain his ob
servations and conclusions regarding the incident. 1 r :1 '■
/ .1 .
Page 2 of 5 pages
iV”* i ĉ* V ,
29 'j n o /
IV. BOARD OF REVIIF;
A. The Board of P.oview sj.oxl co.-.sist oT the foUowlas t.cpoors:
v/ilo
2 .
o•-> •
4.
5.
B,
Tlio Dt^pucy Chief, Bureau of Pield Onorations
designated Chairman of the Board. ‘ '
The commanding officer of Training Division.
Txho command and supervisory .officers of the member v'ho discnargoa his v/eapon.' \.no
i\.o ..lemb̂ is of the same rank as the member who di'^ch"'__•-his v/eapon. ui.^cnctr^Cx
Any others designated by the Chief of Police.
iTieetings of the Board ,
1. The Chairman shall call a meeting of the Board o-f"
within a reasonable time after he receives a ^eporFF""'!’ firearms aischarge. i o-t Ox x.
2. In those cases v/here the discharge was for a purpose o-
kill^a^ wounaed or dangerous animals and there was m
property damage or personal injury, the ChairmaVL?
appiove th.e report of the investigatin'^ com’̂-’-d o'-'-Vov-
without holding a meeting of the Board“of Review?
C. -Authority of the Board
1. The Board of Review shall inquire into the circumstances
1 attending each discharge of firearm^s by a Department
. memoer ^or tne purpose of determining the fa.cts
inquiry shall encompass conF""*^^"
tiiouLOiy causes to determine if the officer's actions
brought aoout the need to discharge his weapon.
2. ̂ After inquiring into the circumstances attendin- the
. discharge Oo. firearmis and determining the facts° ^hp
PreleJtJd a^d Ifi^e at
t discharge was either Justifiable... ANon-justifiable or Accidental as defined herein.
_./ ̂ a. When the circumstances at' the time of the firin-
thP firing was the result of• . ̂ . the officer s departure from acceptable police
proceaures, the finding shall be that the disch^n-e was Non-justifiable.
b. A- finding of Accidental shall be made only when f-evn
■ ̂ „ IS ao element of nosligenco on the part of ^hrne^te"
If negligence on the part of t.he neaber is an ele-'er-'
■' ■ {) {
t >■"*-?• ' Page 3 of 5 pages
Rev,
29 Jun 67
Tho Bonrci shall rccor-rr.er.d to the Chief ox Police th;
trainin:: procraras be undortalzen when circu;astannes *' such need. ■ ca to
ivî Liiin five days after a Board r.ec
subiait a Discharge Board of Review
Police. The Report shall contain ;
cumstances attending the discharge
Boarc's deliberations, the findin'"'
'̂ ^r>; the Chairman siiall
Report to the Chief of
. summary of
a
tnc
■r
cir-
recoir.m.sndations relatin?-
summary of the
of t h e Board and ,any
g cO training programs.
V. DISP'OSl'TIOX OF BOARD OF Rff/IBh REPORTS
v-'ill__reviev,' such Discharge Board of R e v i e w
PJ-pose 0 1 - approving or disapproving the iind..!.̂ an> recommendation made.
If the
action
Chief of Polic
will be taken
v/ill then be re-submitte
:e disapproves the finding, furtha
as he may direct, and the Report
d cO nim for approval
Deport is ̂ approved by the Chief of Police, a conv
^/lll i or warned to the member involved, to each of h-fs
commana and supervisory officers, the Training Division
com.,_neer anc to each Deputy Chief. In addition, when a
oCi,ax ge ̂ nas been found by the Board to be 2von-jus bif iable
ana suc,i^iinding has been approved by the Chief of Police
a copy oi t.he Report will be forwarded by the Chief's
division for filing i„ the n,en-.ber's
a. The Office of the Bureau of Field Operations shall
maintain permanently a file copy of each Board of
Review Report together with all -.vritten material relating thereto.
indicated by a Discharge Board of
tne Chief of Police will determine whether he
initiate the action in conformity with the
iindiiiii or rexer the Report to the commanding officer ox the
recommendation of corrective action to‘be
1. Reports which 'e xorwarded to a commanding officer a recommendation shall be returned
the _Chief of Police v/ho wi]
recommendation and make the fin.ni decision regardingthe corrective action to
for
through channels to
approve or disapprove the
oe taken.
One or m r e of the following correotivo notions may be tr.ken
of Jhe S ' n X f " indicated, subject to L e ofollsions
r Oakland, the rules'of the CiviloGivicG Eoa.rd, a.na w h e n ------
Manager.
1 M <1 / JL
, the approval o:
Pago
the City
f '
pagesf ! )4 of 5
K - 3 Rev.
29 Jun 67
1. Counselling^
2. Training"
3. Oral Reprimand
4. V/ritten Reprimand
5. Voluntary surrender of time off in lieu of o t h e r 'action
accumulated overtime in lieu of
7. DeK'.erits
S, Suspension
9. Fine
10. Demotion
11. Dismissal from the Service
1 >"f' 1 / J n / \ -* t' ' rT ' y * ‘ i. ■ / » *
OFFICE OF CHIEF OF POLICE
OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT
MEMORANDUM
TO: All Personnel DATE; 15 Nov 71
SUB'jECT: Revision of General Order 60 54 , DxSCIL?-RG*-. Oi.
FIREAR:4S, (K-3, 29 Jun 67)
The subject order has been revised to establish^ poJ.rcy^ regarc
ing the merr.bers of the Board of Fievxev/. V.h.en the ciscnarge
Qf f r earit'.s by a ifierr.ber does not result m death or injury,
the"Bureau bf Field Operations Deputy Chief nay designate a
ccnn\and officer to act as chairraah of the Board of Reviev.’.
All personnel shall place the revision in their Departmental
General Order Manual. There arc no index changes.
Bv order of
C) J
-I '
1 i J . u»
N'ovcinber 9 , 1971
C I T Y O F D A L L A S
TSXAS
POI.IC5 UiPAKfiS'iCNT
\- •“ n
1
1 ■ 7 ̂''
Hr. Ronald D. Krclstein
Legal Advisor
Menphis P o l ic e Department
128 Adams Avenue ,
Memphis, T en n essee 3S1G3 ■ - ' .
Dear Mr. K r e ls t e in :
With regard to your l e t t e r o f O ctober IS , 1971 , I would l ik e to answer your
s p e c i f i c q u e s t io n s as fo l lo w s :
F i r s t , our p o l ic y w ith regard to u se o f f ir e a rm s i s th a t
VC v t i l l o n ly use, f irea rm s vrhen the l i f e o f the o f f i c e r
or some o th er p erson i s th r ea te n e d r e g a r d le s s o f the
s t a t e s t a t u t e p r o v is io n . Texas has a co m p lica ted
j u s t i f i a b l e h om icide s t a t u t e w hich would have l i t t l e
a p p l ic a t io n to o th e r s t a t e s .
S econd , w ith regard to p r iv a te p o l i c e , we do have a
poor C ity O rdinance which m ere ly r e q u ir e s th a t th ey
be r e g is t e r e d and f in g e r p r in te d . C o n v ic tio n o f a
f e lo n y or a m isdem eanor in v o lv in g m oral tu r p itu d e
• v ; i l l d i s q u a l i f y an a p p lic a n t but th a t i s about a l l
th e d i s q u a l i f i c a t io n th e r e i s .
I T h ird , V7ith regard to r e le a s e o f p o l i c e r e c o r d s , we do
n o t r e le a s e p o l ic e r e c o r d s e x c e p t to C rim inal J u s t ic e
A g e n c ie s . V7e do n o t r e le a s e a r r e s t r e c o r d s or p o l ic e
in fo r m a tio n to p r iv a te s e c u r i t j ’- a g e n c ie s , b u s in e s s
e s ta b l is h m e n ts , n or do we con d u ct any typ e o f p r e -
eraplo^mient check fo r any agen cy o th e r than a p o l ic e
d epartm ent.
I hope t h i s in fo r m a tio n w i l l be o f some h e lp to you in your e f f o r t s .
0 ‘)i;
C I T Y O F S /v J O s I-:
CALIFORNIA
P. O. D O X 2 7 0
. . 9 5 1 0 0
December 7, 1971
n I';oi i '
201 VV. M IS S IO N S T R S E T
TLLLi^HONt 292 -0 14 1
P O L I C E DcrA,-<r : . ; E N T
Roncld D. Kreir.tei.n, Esq,
Legel j'ldvlsor
Kerr.phin Police Departmeat
123 Adams Avenue
Herip'ais, Tennessee 3S1C3
Deal.' Rouold:
Tne nur.rsrous questions you b.nve asked in your ,letter of October 13,1971
make it difficult for trs to respond in ercat detoil because of their
co.uplexity. I cr.i simply enclosing materials that you ir.-y find to be
pertinent in eoc’u case.
The use of deadly force pro.aents particular problems, IHiila '::e do not'
follo-,7 the guidelines of the iiodcl Penal Code, I racom-end the-. It
seems to me thr.t the proper focus ought to be on the question of vhether
it v;as necessary for the officer to respond v?ith deadly force undar the
circumstances because of t:o prospective danger of death or great bodily
harm if he failed to act. The historical approacli uns focused on the
nature of the offense cemmitted — a felony, often circumscribed by the
requirerrient that it have involved the use of deadly force. Tliere are
so-s occasions uhen a felony using deadly force c.g. a student fleeing
after having semng a baseball bat at a riot should not be shot dovn
because it is unlikely that this conduct v.’ill reoccur. On the other
hand, an officer should be permitted to use deadly force in overtaking
an escaping rapist even though the rape did not involve the use or
threat to use deadly force. For this reason I rcccmnend the Model Penal
'Code language in preference to our existing policy. In this case, the
academic document of the Model Penal Code is probably more responsive to
the situation faced by the police officer than the artificial restraints
of our Department's policy.
With best wishes for a happy holiday season, I am.
Sincerely,
ROBERT B. HUHPKY
Chief of Police
Mloyuu A. Fincher, Jr.
Police Legal Advisor
RAF:me
Enclosure:
I M < s
i .
Section 17 VOTIk'G A}:d politics
mV* ..r .v'* ■ Item 1 All members shall vote their convictions' as citizens on al^
public questions and palioical races, but will.take no other part• in these questions cr races, nor make statements for nublica a k--r
or give interviews for the same purpose. ’
Section
Item
10
1
Section
Item
Section
Item
19
1
2
3
20
1
O L H D I E K C E - C H A I L ' 0? C O EM A i'ID
Each member will obey and follom orderc and instructions, and be
familiar with ^hem at all times.; he vrill take up m-atters affecting
him, his position or any Departmental business \;ith his immediate
supervisor only, or through the proner channels.
CREDENTIALS Ah'D BADGE TO 3E CARRIED
Ihe badge and credentials, denoting a member of the Ne'.̂ Mexico
Si.atc Police, v/ill be carried at all times, whether on or off duty,
for identification purposes. ’
For police purposes, identification will be made with the credGnti--’ls
and badge.
Each officer will refrain from handling traffic enforcement, cxcc-t
v;han in regulation police uniform.
IDENTIFIC.ATIO:!
A.ny officer of the Department', except when serving in an undercover
capacity; will, when called upon to do so, identify himself by
namiB and badge number.
Section 21. USE OF FIREARMS
Item 1 RESPONSIBILITY . ' '
Topic 1 The Nevr Mexico S'tate Police have no t^peater
Item
Topic
2
1
decision or whether or not to use ■ firearms. They v;ill not use
their firearms unless they actually believe it necessary as a last
resort, to protect themselves or soma other innocent person from
serious bodily injury or death; or in the following instances only:
AUTHORIZED USE:
An officer 'of this department may discharge his firearm to defend
himself or another person (v;hen unla'wfully attacked) from death,
serious injury, or felonious assault; when other means have
failed; or ^
To kill a critically vrounded or dangerous animal, v;hen other
disposition is impractical (only on authorization from a superior
officer, if time permits;) or
102 nr'f! I t
( ± CJ
iOV-O To "ive an alarn or call for asoictance for an important purpoao
\rlien no other neans can bo unod; or
On a piotol ranga for practice, or whan authcriacd for training
purpocac.
An officer shall drac’ or display his firaarrp. only for a legal use
or for inspection, (including cleaning, oiling and storing).
If a fleeing person is positively identified as a dangerous felon,
and the officer can fire -without risk to innocent persons, the
officer is authorized to use deadly force if no other means will
stop the fleeing dangerous felon.
If in the course of accomplishing an arres-i: (including one for a
misdemeancr), an officer is feloniously attacked by thi3 person (s)
being arrested, or by another person (s) who is feloniousl-y inter
fering -with the arrest, the officer is authcrized to use deadly
force when all other means of accomplishing the arrest or subduing
the resistance fails.
8 If in the course of duty, an officer discovers a person in the
. process of committing a felony dangerous to human life, or about to
commit a felony dangerous to human life, he is authorized to use
deadly force to prevent the felony v,-hen all other available m.eans
would be too slov;, ineffective or hazardous to the officer or
victim.
9 Any other possible instances in -which the conscience of a reasona!)ly
praident man would dictate the use of firearms, as a last necessity. .
Item 3 UNAUTHORIZED USE; . . " .
X
Top.ic 1 If a fleeing person-has committed, is committing, or is about to
commit a misdemeanor; an officer shall not fire at such person.
2 If a fleeing person has committed, is cozmiitting, or is about to
cbimait an act which may or may not be a felonj’-, an officer shall
no't f.lre at such person, as the risk of possible liability for the
use of excessive force, far out-weighs the necessity of preventing
■ -the escape of such a person.
3 . An officer shall not fire upon, or as a warning to, a person
v;ho has been ordered to halt because of a mere suspicion, and who,
/ witho-dt making any resistance, simply runs a'way to avoid arrest.
Any other instances in -which a reasoneibly prudent man would not
fire or unnecessarily endanger human life.
Item 4 SIDE/d^H3 ON PENITENTIARY GROLDIDS
Topic 1 All officers, upon entering the State Penitcntia'ry grounds, will
abide by the rules and regulations of the Harden or other Penitentiary
1031 Vh’ , X 4 i^.J
0 0 0 100
r.G I’eiial Codo Art. 3 .G7 3.07 r:
' . '.ISC of force for ihe prcver.tioa of the violent
;; v .-.n or tliro'.ened r.nd liic force :.s used to
I.revs:.: tscjpe '.'I'.l'. li e irniis, .nnd also wl’.crc il'.c actor npprcl'.cnds
;;:e of lesvcr force wo'.ild c.'sposc him to d.ir.gcr. llcncc, the
f c c . v ’.nat well Lc .itiy n.nrroivcr th.in tli.ot presented here,
V . s l i ;’i,,'.i:;;; the.-c de.sireS.
l-v.;- Co::'.:;'.e:'.t.iry, see TentCuivc Draft Xc. S, p. 36.
r..a:ij;'. 3.07. Use of Force in Law Enforcement.
(1) U:',c of I'crci'' Jn.",lif;:’.ble to Fdfcct an Arrc.st. Sub-
Act t.rovictons of ibis Section and of Section 3.09, tbo
V-. c 0 .' : c'e upon or tow.'.rd tlto person of another is justin-
r.l'.e v.-n;;. ;;;o actor is nt.akin'r or a.s.sistini]f in inalcin^’ an
a.v: c: :::.d tao i.clor believes th.at ;;ucb force is immediately
a'vee;.;.:r>' to ec.cot a hiv.'iul aiTcst.
(2) 2,;mi:.'dicr.s or. tbo Use of Force.
(a) Tr.e use of force is not justifiable under this
Svsciea unless:
(i) tue actor makes known the purjiosc of tho
asr^„t cr believe.? tb.at it is othcn'.'iso knovm by or
, c.M-ust rea:;o.;.ably be made Itnovai to tho person to
be aurecieil; and
(ii) when tlio arrest i.s made under a w.an'.'int,
sl.e v.'i.rraut is valid or believed by the actor to be
(j) ?i.e use of deadly force is not justifiable under
T"' . C .,..1..
(i) tl'.o arrest is for a felony; and
(ii) the person cfroctinv- the arrest is author-
■ ' iscd to act as a peace oriccr or is assisting a parson
' s.'Lcm he believes to be authorised to act as a peace
culcer; and
(iii) the actor believes th.at the force ornplo5'cd
creates no .substantial lisk of injury to innocent
persons; and
(iv) the actor believes that:
(1) tho crime for vrlnch the arrest is made
involved conduct iucludinr'- the use or thrc.it-
cned use of deadly force; or
(2) there is a substantial risk that tho per
son to be .iiTC'Sted will cause death or serious
bodilj' harm if his apprehension is dcl.ayecl.
(3) Use of Force to Prevent Escape from Cu.stody. The
use of force to prevent the escape of an .arrested person from
custody is ju.stiiiablc when the force could j'.isfifiably have
been employed to cfi'cct the an e.st under which the person is
in custody, oucept that a /yuard or other person authorized
to act as a peace officer is justified in usin '̂- any force, indad-
in j deadly force, v/liich he believes to be immcdi.ately neces
sary to prevent the escape of a person from a jail, prison, or
other institution for the detention of persons cliare;cd with
or convicted of a crime.
(d) U se of Force by Private Person Assistln.^f an U n-
Ih.V'.n'ul Arrest.
(a) ,A private person who is summoned by a pe.ac'O
ofTiccr to-assist in ciTcctin" an unl.awf'd .aiTcst, is justi-
llcd in usin" any force which he would bo justified in
U3in;y if the an'cst were lawful, pro\'idcd tliat ho docs
not believe tho arrest is uulaudul.
(b) A. private person who assists another private
person iu e.uccling- an unlav/iul arrest, or who, not boir.r,'
"summoned, assists a pcaco officer in e£foctir.,y an unlaw
ful arrest, is justified in using- any force v.'hich he would
bo justified in using: if the arrest were lav.TuJ, provided
C d
oS T'cnal Code
(i) ho brlicvcs the ;uTCSt, is lawful, and (ii) tbc ar-
rc.'-l \vould be lawful if the fa.cls were as he believer, them
to be.
(;')) lire of Force to Prevent Suicidc_or the Conrinission
of .a Crb.v.c.
(a) The use of force upon or towa.rd the person of
ar.o'.h.t.r is ’ur.fidablo when the actor believes that such
force is ir.nuedi.vtcly necessary to prevent- such other
.;r;: from connnitliu" suicide, inflictin;; lierious bod-
Imr-.n upon innw-elf, committing: or censummaain^
co;r.m.i.-.-i(m of a crime involvin,'; or thrca'nning bod-
dam.ayc to or loss of property or a breach of
ue.mo, e::ec;)t that:
(i) ;i;;v iin-.itationr. imposed by the other provi-
sion.s of ti'.is Article on tlic justifiable use of force
in .mlf protection, for the protection of ethers, the
l)rot..crion of jirojicrty, th.c cffcctmation of an arrest
or tl;e prevention of an escape from custody sha.ll
appiy i.o'.switi'.st.amiiu;-; tlie criminality of the con-
duct ayainst which ouch force is used; and
(ii) th.c- v.;;o of deadly force is not in any event
justifiiiblc under tins. Subsection unless:
(1) Ir.o actor believes tb.at there is a sub-
.star.tial risk tliat th.c person wh.om ho seeks to
prevent from commiltiup a crime will cause
death or serious bodily hanrn to another unless
th.c commir:-;ion or th.c consummation of the
crime is prevented and that the use of such
force presents no substantial risk of injury to
innocent ]>crr.ons; or
( i) the actor bciicvco that the use of ouch,
force is ncccssm-}* to suppress a riot or mutiny
after the idotcrs or mutineers havVO been or
59 ̂3.0S <■::
dered to disperse and v/arued, in any particu
lar manner that the law may require, that such
force w'ill bo used if they do not obey.
(b) The justification afforded by this Subsection
extends to the use of confinement as preventive force
only if the actor takes all reasonable measures to ter
minate the ccnfincrncnt as soon as he knows that he
safely can, unless the person confined has been anxsted
on a charge of crime.
STATUS OF SFsCTION
Presented to tb.c Institute in Tcnt.ilivc Draft Xo. S and con
sidered at ilic May 195.S inoctin".
Pcsubniittcd to llic Council in rcvi.scd form and con.sidercd at
ll'.e DecemlK.r 195S lueeliiTip
The revision ir. designed to carry out the in.aii'.latc of the Institute
•upon two poinis: (1) to extend the jirivilege of using deadly force
to effect an arrest to a person assi.sting a [icace officer rallicr than
limit that privilege to officers (see Subsection (2)(i>)(i i )) ; and (2)
to extend th.e privilege to casc.s wlicrc ih.e actor believes tliat tbc crime
for wl'.icb the arrest is made involved conduct including th.c use or
threatened use of dc.idly force (see Subsection (2) (b) (iv) (1) ) .
For Commentary, See Tentative Draft X'o. 8, p. 52.
Scciion 3.03. Use of Force by Pewsoas with Special P.c-
sponsibility for Care, Discipline or Safety of
Others,
The n;;c of force upon or tov/ard the person of another is
justifiable if:
(1) the actor is the parent or guardian or other
person simil.arly rosponr-ible for the general care and
supervision of a miner or a person acting at the request
of such parent, guardian or other responsible person
and: ;
\
C j. 'I-
tH
1- I •
j.;
• i*'
O F F IC C rn i: p o l i c l j c in m ? 17 S O U V I ' l 2,‘,’0 A V F d ' J i : PKOE>;i>:. A'iî ONA
Cctobcr 27, 1971
Mr. Ronald Krolstcin
Lsf^al Rdvicor
I'sr.phis ?olic2 Dapartranl
123 Adana Aver.us
Ka.Tiphis, Tennessee 33103
^Xn c2 7 fc'
Dear Ron:
■•'e received yoinc "xeroeced” letter and-as a rer;idl.t, we are sending
you a lot of ''xeroxed" information.
You were correct in assuming that C’or d-epartTiental policy in
reference to use of fircarns is nuch narrower in scose than our
state lav. Oui' existing policy and law are enclosed.
\fo recently haa occa.sicn to suspena an officer for a shooting incident
v/hsrein he acted within the law but outside policy (a fleeing marijuana
suspect vras shot). This has caused a lot of discussion about possibl.s
policy changes, but as of yet no concrete changes have been formulated.
Maybe San Francisco has the best idea. As you nay know, they have no
written shooting policy.
You might also check with Royce Fincer of the San Jose, California,
Police Department. He has done some work in this area.
In the area of "Rent-a-Cops", w'e do not have any specific legislation
covering this; private police are, of course, covered by o'ur concealed'
weapons lav, and arc prohibited from impersonating legitimate police
officers. (They may not wear uniforms, badges, etc., similar to sv;orn •
officers). This, plus our normal business licensing requirements, is
about tl’e extent of oiar control.
Our last session of the A.rizona legislature did pass a bill covering
investigation services which may be of some benefit to you, we
are enclosing a copy of it as well as a copy of an Arizona Department of
Public Saicty (State Police) memo concerning its implementation.
Our legislature in 1970 passed a bill which allo-ws criminals, who have been
goed and served their time on probation, to have their criminal records
expunged by petition to the proper court.
4*̂ O f] ():, ̂r u ̂ /11 ‘ • :
, \
Tv/o
Tiri.'j in about tha only thin^ %:a hava in tha ci-i;.;i:ial hintory area, a:::
va rcalina that thia in not in poi;it vith your requoat, but it ray’ ba
of sore value to you, so vo are enclosing a copy oi' this also.
If you develop sore policy or legislative suggestions in these areas,
please send us a copy.
Yours tru.ly,
1=0
-1 ̂'>o.1 / /̂ I
i. ■>,I ' ■ ■■ j:
1, i'OUCC jl
} OfM'/'fMMCHT :' ̂ _
T?TTr**nMC 'T p Vr.Ln_/i.jvi'40 luiJiOj,
GGMli'CAL
Or(DcU
îO. r:cr.v:“ r . - ^ ».•>%. •• j —
!• Crt-'ECTlVd DATE
Gonrjr!il CrGor f-3, 10-16-67; T.O. AdDiin. InDl. 66-j.Î;:,
[crrDES-66-171 . 66-179. _________ _̂_____________________________
J u ly 1, 1970
; i iuax i1LGch;ir,;G o f WeupcriD; .’uTJTuniliicTi; I’i s t o l Ra:iye; V;capo:i |;
Ropui r ; 'Acnpon P.elacciTcut; F i r c a r n s T ra in ip -; .
Rcc'laccT'.cnt o f V.’op.r'cns. ________________ IPACE 1 OF
CERFRAL . • _ ̂ [
.1 Officers of this Dspartiuent shall exiiaust every other reasonable .r.eans of
apprehension, restraint, or force before resorting to the use of firearns. ;
V
.2 Officers shall not unnecessarily drau or display any fircarr., or carelessly ̂
haiidl e a firsaru at any time. Tbs same rules of good judgc-r.ent apslicar.-e ̂
to the discharge of a veapon shall also apply to the drawing and displaying ;
of a weapon by an officer. f:
.3 No warning shots shall be fired by an officer under any circunstance.s. /n 1
officer who fires a shot to warn, or who otherwise discharges a fircarn
without proper justification, will be subject to disciplinary action. ' i
V-
DISCHARGING WEAPONS f
i
.1 Rofor to General Order, Rules of Conduct. it
• f
.2 Officers shall not discharge firear.ais in connection with police activities )
either on or off duty, except ijnder the following circuiastances: . t
1 : - . . I
(1) At an approved range. ‘ 7 ' . /• ■ . • . . . i
(2) Killing animals seriously wounded or dangerous, when other disposition 1
is jjnpractical. • , f
I
(3) V/hen authorised by a superior officer. |
(A) In. defense, to overcome an attack which could produce great bodily harm '
or death to the officer or to anotlier person. The fireari.i, or any '
• othor deadly force, should be used only if the officer has no other f
means available to overcome the attacker. • [
(5) To effect the capture of, or prevent the escape or rescue of, a person \
whom the officer knows has com.mitted a felony, with the following 1 imi-;
tatlons: i
Tlio crimo for which the arrest is sought involves conduct including the;
use or threatened use of deadly force, and there is substanti'a risk ,
that the person whnee arrest is sought wil l cause''death or serious :
bodily harm if his apprehension is delayed. _ ;
o -
i rb J
/*/?«■» J »■ »;̂ {; i. I a ’ ,
0 . 1;
■■No. (y
v;:̂;.~o::s (ccntinusd)
J u ly 1. 1970
r
Th-3 fircarui shall not bo uood under any conditions v;hcro innocent by-
stan.dcrs arc lihely to bo injured or killed.
The oiTicor shall not shoot unless all other available msojis to effect
tho capturo of th.c folon )iavo been exhausted.
V.'lion it is necessary to'shnot a flcoinj; felon, the-officer shall air. tc
/ittc’u'.pt to 'w'oiund in the legs so as to disable end not !:ill.
.1 Any ol'flcer wiio dischergos a firear.-r. accidentally or ini-enticnelly wliiie ner-1
fornlng a police I'unction, either on cr off duty, shall r.o.ke a verbal rcoort
to Ills supervising officer as soon ns circu.;;'.stances uiJ.l psrnit, -and a ?
wrlti.cn report as soon as possible.
Alfi'RJITIO:;
1r V.'eap-ons will be
t factory- i o-';ded
Un i f 0 rc; Reg ul a t
1
1 . 2 /ucmunltion wi.lL
if
1
as required.
1;
1 • PISTOL RAkCP
.1 The use of tiio
1
cent .'Uid those
1re • 2 The R.ongo will
is '..’ith Department-issue.
days of each .montii, Septembor through June. All officers, with the excep- \
tion of those excused by the Police Chief, will be required to qualify ■'..'iah i'
a score of 65 or bettor ever}’- other month, /my officer who fails to qualify 1
v;i.ll bo required to continue supervised training on his ovjn time, at the j'
time set by the .Rangema.ster, until he qualifies.
.3 Un3U))er'.'ised practice will not be permiuted. If a weapon needs testing or
sighting-in, ammunition will be signed out and used under the direction of
Range personnel. •
• A Tho Range.mnster shall publish rules-goverr.ing firearm practices and safety
procodufo.a, subject to the approval of tho Police Chief, which wi].] be
posted .at the Range, and all personnel will comply. Safety, accuracy, and
corroct techniquos and responses are the goals of firearm training.
11 ̂ A b li
: •IJ
'* • PT n̂'Or. (coatinuad)
0;lDidl
lio. G/'
Ci-THCTIV'-. CJATE
Jaly 1, lv7'
5 Acce.es to thle
assigned to rc
d’uties.
6 No reloaded a::
7 Ammu.nition is *
fication or G£
am-munition.
UEPAIR AGO CLaA;:i;:f; O? 1;EA?0’:S
.1 K'o olTlcer ^hsll repair, blue, nodify, or do any other vork on a Departnent-
o\;n9d firearm except to clean it, chmigo the haj:idgrip3, or add a trigror
shoo, nor shall cn'i officer allcv; anyone otlrer tl'.sn the Rangenastor to dc‘
any vork on a Departnent-insuod firearm. No officer shall disassemble,
. remove parts, or take off the side p].a.tes of any Departuent~ov;ned firesri:’.
•in order to clean it. • .■
■ • i
.2 V/capbns in need of ciincr repair vill bo repaired by the Rangonaster inrsd- -
■ lately.
.3 V/oapons in need of major repair vill be turned in to the Central. Supply
R o o m , each accompanied by a memo in quadruplicate listing a description of ;
the v;eapon and serial number, with information as to hov; the weapon was |
1 damaged and/or repairs to bo made. This request must be authorised by the ;
. signature of a Lieutenant or officer of higher rank, and a replacement ^
weapon will be issued by,Central Supply. _ j
tc
t
.4. V e a w m s which need re-bluing will be turned in to the Central Supply Room
during normal business hours, and a replacement issued. I
.5 Shotguns.and riot guns that have been discharged will be taken to the Range-;
as soon as oossiblo for cleaning. i
.6 Officers will not clean, repair, or load firearms in police buildings,
except those at the Police Range, or v/hen so ordered by a superior officer.
Emergency weapons checked out will bo examined by a supervisor before they
are returned to storage. '
r f , p l a c r :-N'.m t oi-' w e a p o n s
I
.1 Requests for the replacement of a i;o-apon during normal business hours, ;
Monda}'- through Friday, 8 /uM to 5 PM, v;ill be submitted in quadruplicate, v
tlirough channels, to the Bureau Co?imandor. • In the memo a descriptior. and
the serin], number of the weapon will be included, and the reason for rc-
questing replacement. When the request has been authorised by a Lieu
or offlcor of higher rank, a roplacemont will bo issued by tho Centr-al
Supply Room. j? ? '
1.' .
; or:::;;-'AL
: OIIL’ER
i.'o,
r1 ?' / j
o\ *o
L
L!!T-ECTIV'i DATE
J u l7 1, 1970
io om-A;';-;:’::::!? 0:' 79A?c;:3 (continued)
.2 V.'ea;niri g V.eodiny reDlaccnent at other t'naui noreal bu rdnosG
req U2St cd tl’X'ou'̂ h chnnnolG, ao above, and author:Lze;1 in t.
Tho repJa ccniout ui11 be isGiJed by the Patrol bureau Shift
tho Con tral Supply Rccn.
.'lourc r.ust et:i
»3 S'̂ ITZC P'Cl ^
1728
i i ^ w . *-rvSr? »« >=*■. ̂ 1_TW— <
\
• \ ̂■ ■'!
■' ■-/
/« <v V i«. '
. i- < ...>* c.' *•" ': !•/: I M O ;-—/ i* X c . 1. >w’ 1 >i .AL \.y ^
N E W HAVEN, COKNHCTLCUT 035;1.■* (1 v- ̂•*/ J« > .
n j A G l O C i L i r ^ T O . C»^iof o f f ' r i i t o
U A H 1 H O L O \ t U V'.' f -, G U i O A , f . ' j y o r crXnî /'/- .sU 7s
October 2G, 1971
Ronald D. Krelstein
Legal .Advisor
Morapliis Police Deoartnent
12 S .Adams Avenue
.Memphi.s, Tenn. 3810 3
Dear Ronald:
able to suDoly you v;ith the informat^'on you lequesced in your letter of October 18, 1971.
ihe use of fireai*ms by police personnel is governed by Genera"'
70-5, enclosed. Although it is self-G.xplanato.’r/, I v;ould
callcteuuion to the report and investigation procedures that
are lo.lov/ed in every firearm discharge case. -I believe that
iis .ielps to reduce the incidence of unwarranted use of firearms.
Our Î <ent-a-Cop" situation is so.mewhat different tJian yours.
State legislation permits the appointment of soscial constable*^
by the local chief executive officer. In practice, the oersonnel
are^^selected oy the chief of police so that v.'e have full* control
over vihich police personnel will carry' firearms. We also have
private guards v/ithout law enforcement pov;er. If the justification
and need are present, the chief of police may issue oistol P'='rmits to them as well. "
The disclosure of police information in New Haven is handled pursuant
"o Special Order 70-11. Again, I think that the material is self explanatory.
Sincerely,
MARK BS.RGER
Legal /Advisor
00 04 i
MB/jm
. - / ‘ I •; > / . : . i !
G - n c r a l G r J c r ;:o. 7C-;
r:-: Use of firearms
I. PUR?0:^E
, v . ^
j-hc porposc Oj. tnis orcior 'is' to establish Department oolicv-
regarding the.use of firearms.
j-j.. C0NTD7;':'
invent of Police Service i:Tne policy of the l>Tav Haven D______ _
that members shall exhaust _ every ether rLisonable'meanrof
apprcnensicn besore resorting to the use of firear.ms. Pol ofticers nx rcc
liabl'O circum
use firear.ms only inaer certain restricir? »■* r*---------------- _̂____police officer may not drscharna
except in. unesa limitad situations. h'o officer ha.:iqht to exceed hi.s OOv;«'" xiu must deciae his actionlig.Vu or tne circu.ms^tancas confronting him and the limitavt
T.ve rollowing specific regulations v;ilior .n:
apolv:
autnoritv.
h£s
O'>•»
.n the
lions
SuLr-Will.'. Pn officer is entitled to use deadly force
v^hen it is necessary to save himsalf, a citizen, a bro-tner Oi.ficer, or a prisoner rrom death, or grave bediiv
h Ts not entitled to use ac ,diy force rro.m assault:v.’hich are not likely to have serious resuit.s.
llISDE.yd:7\NAHTS. Pn officer may not use deadly force to
effect the arrest or prevent the escape of a* person v;h.o
has committea a misdemeanor. This restriction does not
infringe upon an officer's right of self-defense sh.ouid he be attached, ilote thatt visixng a motor vehicle v/ithithe
r.ostiovmer's permission-is a misdemeanor. note also that :
mOv,or vehicles are uaken by juveniles and the use of
deadly force is noc authorized against fleeing juveniles,
APPRH.HSr-iSION OF SUSPECTED FELONY OFFP/dDERS. An officer
will not use deadly force on a person v/ho is called unon
i-o nail upon mere suspicion and,- v/ho simplv runs av.’ay to
avoid arrest.
APPRmLr.'SiO.'.’ OF .-CIvO"'! FELOdY OFFENDERS. Firearms mu.st
not be disenargea at perso.ns v/ho are running av;av to es
cape arrest except under compelling circumstances in
2.1"* oxiiicoir 2ct-U2j-xy seesfelony cases. For example.
X f d J • '' f d' i f * c. V • b ̂ I y.
O rder 7G-!:
\.tje 2
a pornon cc:rr.'.rr a serrous
such as isurder, rape, ass
robbery v/i;:h. violence, he
if th.o oficnder cannot be apprehaiidccl by
able means.
- cine.r:..oney e-ye e
so v:i th a ^loauny v;eapo;i or
ay shoot to lirevcrrc esccioe
any other rcaecn-
5. FLEZIhG JUVEI'IILES. The ruie.s pertaining to self-defense
are ecuallv anolicahlc :o 0 even lies ei ;usoact c:
be consaaered less eangerous oierely because of his yout
Hov.-ever, in the event officers arcrpursuing a fleei.ng
felon - offe.nder believed to be a juvenile, thev v;ill"nc
shoot even though the suspect ignores the r -
laands to halt.
6 .
7.
8 .
9.
DAIsGTROUS AlTiriALS. An
ous animal or one that hum;
•further sufferina and othe:
officer mav shoot to kill a danrror-
2val
ais-ocsrcion as am.oractac;
T7‘.RGGT PPJ'i.CTICE. An officer may use his' firearm for tar
get practice at an approved range.
DRAWING 0? vTE-APOM. The service revolver v^ill be
from its holster only vinen th.e use of deadly for
both authoriaed and absolutely necessary.
arau:
rrp> is
W.APlTIh'G SPOTS. ' naming shc"ts may be fired, but only in
felony situations v/hen the application of deadly force
is authorised and all other mea.ns of apprehensions have
failed.
i10.. PROTECTIOM OF GENERAL PuELIC. Regardless of the nature
of the crime or the legal justification for firing at a
suspect, officers should remember that -their .basic res-
ponsibility is to protect the publ_j.c. 0fficers shouie
be particularly cautiou.s \;nc.-i ri n n g under condi'tions
that v/ould subjec-t bystanders to pcssibLe injury.
Should an officer purchase, r e pl ac el os e or othersv-ise dispose-
of a police firearm, he shall file a 'vri-tten repor't -chroucTh.
established channels to the Chief of Police. The report v/ill •
contain a complete description including the serial .number.
Should an officer lose or have stolen frem him a firearm, the
report shall include all facts surrounding the loss. • ■-
VThenever a firearm is discharged (er.copt at an approved range) ,
the follov/i.ng procedures will be fcllo-.-.’-ed :
A. N0TIFIC.ATI0N A'TD REPORT BY REX3ER J.NV0L\E:D .
1. vrnenevor a membier discharges 2iis firearm either (a)
accidentally, or (b) in the performance of police
duty, he shall verbally notify his on-duty supervisor
/ •-> X I'U'’ ^11' b V. • <
Pago Ordor 7 0 ~5
a3 coon
Gvoot la-o'- ̂ ^OG coo,-).'.3o£\;'COG 'OGrrr'.i.t: b'i~ '
LOO o f h i 3 t o u r o t c u ; ' ^
a t t h e t i n e o f cl — ^^ivx^icr
n o t i f y t h e r a o k i n r o f t i c Z ^ ^ o ^ v e r b o i l y ■
a t t h e t i r a e . " Ga^y xo cue D e p a r o r e o t
If a supoa.-ior officer is'oo-
B.
The officer who discharaed -v/rxeeen report of f-- .-pc— p̂rec-.,m caa^x fxie <
channels to the Crr'-f ZZ tnrough Gstaolished
to has division c o u r a a . ca.roon conv
tour of dutv. one completion of hiZ
3.
fore, incapable of f i ! o n d is, thcre-
• _ graph two of this subsecf^cZ rcquxred by oara-
ponsxble for fî •-•'̂ o ac- rZZ„Vi-"~‘̂ aupervxsor as res- pcnai.,
ahnfSSTaGfvTION 3Y 7i COr-P-!AhD OFFICE?.
1* Each disc'Large of fî eav-rr=; -o -ti - • ’• personally by th-̂ oe investigated
ipember involved''' if t : - ' ' d i o f f i c e r of the '.
...is_no supervisorv off.'car JZ ^'*ore
• •. - whic'i the member" is ass.'m-p.'' cavasion to
•’ ■ ■ officer then on diitv rankang command
. ; investigation when Solifi^o
-• firearms has taken place. ' "" discnarge of
■ 2. . ■ -After conductinrr i thor-r.--,̂ ’ • f '
' tZe t i ' s S i r j r i f tihS
, nrepor?'tfthrZesult-''o-\?''''"'^^"^ detailerwZ-iZtZ^■ . .-Chief of Police th-oZ^-u~ to the
. •• shall include'th-^oV^Z’i^^?^'^
... the command Off
. •■■ ̂ i-_acoprd^^^^^
III. KEFEREECES' • - ■ t : -.h: l-.i:- ' .: * : a ' ' ‘ .
April^SSZ^lSSa!'^''" supersedes ̂ General Order .Humber 15 issued
EFFiiCTIVE DATS; - April-23, 1970*'
d i s t r i e u t x o i :; all 1 O1 i O;
r lj'o' Dp/?,v''7
i 0 G9; 5C/ r:̂
• . C •' . . .*ii- v/'*-..'-'O'- ■•''■■ ' • / > ;
f O L I C E D r . P A r » T W C K T
C I T Y O F D C P l I r l A M
?sORTII CARORirN'R
D3ce;"bGr 17, 1971
/ ‘ - W
n -Gl. b
/»
>lr. Ronald D. Krelstcin
Legal Adviser
Memphis Police Departr.erit
128 Adams Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38103
Bear Mr. Rrelstein:
Ccnc.rnit.. your requoot st.-.tod In your lortor o£ Ootobor 18. 1971,
circulated by I.A.C.P., please be advised:
1 Officers of the Durham Police Department are instructed to use a
weapon only in case of necessity in self defense or prevention of
• dLa?h of serious body harm, to another person. A specific threat
of immediate nature is required. All officers aie inSuruc^..
report to the Chief of Police any circumstance requiring them
I to discharge a weapon in the. line of duty. If an^Oi.^icer s oo's
' someone, regardless of the nature of injury the incicent is
fully investigated by members of the Detective Bureau and there
is some evidence that officers may not be reporting incidents
involving shooting of dogs.
2 ' Private police as you described in Memphis are unkno;.m in North
Carolina. North Carolina statutes do provide for security guards
who are appointed by the Governor of the state. Security guards
are authorized to carry a weapon and may arrest violators only
upon the premises of their employer or while in pursuit.
Enclosed is a copy of G.S. 74 A-1 and 2.
Indiscriminate appointment of this chapter could, I imagine, create
a situation similar to-the one you described. Me do not, in ract,
have a problem here.
3. On release of inform.ation and privacy, I can only advise that ̂
■ ' the matter is currently under review. Our existing practice is
to release the criminal record contained
charges and disposition of charg
seeking this information.
l i O
I i ( 1 ! 1 5
Mr. ilonalcl D. K r c l s t c i n
Deccraber 17, 1971
Pa-<3 -2-
Crodit^ reports,^including application checks, and media pcoolc
form tnc bulk or groups making inquiries. Access to the N.C.I.C
syste:;! is limited to department matters only. T'ue City of.......
Charlotte is in the planning stages of a data bank. Access
guidelines are being prepared by the Institute of Government in
•Chapel Kill, K. C. '
The ̂ entire legal problem. v;iH be research.ed in the course of this
stuc;y, I u'ill try to remember to send you a copy of this study '
v;hen it is completed. A resort to our statutory lav "oublic
records" is of little help.
I would be interested in receiving copies of any policy that vou
derive from on this studv. ̂ i
Loyd Reece Trinmer
Police Legal Advisor
LRT:ps
Enclosure
!'00-Ui2
■* A
± i .>4
^ .2*' r';
lit i\ J tWui a iĵi
Knoxvilia, Tenr.asiac
Office! La'iV Enforcanisnt Mam's!
of
Rulas and Rag'jlations
and
Standard Casrations Praceduraa
K YLE C. TESTER” ,All
iM’ yor
DUAfic J. A'JSSnS
Director of Public Safety
JOE C. FOWLER
Cbief of Police
>.)[)[) J W'L-' L' 1 1 >
H O '
■ i ’J aJ
This ofj.icidl L^iw ATommi ^ " 0 1
Regulations and Standard' O p „ a 7 iI4 pr“id°^n?- i f
lished to formallv pc-nhi;^i, V pub-
Police D e o a r tT .;! e.tabh.n tns policy of the Knoxville
e degrao of u ^ lh lU y T n ; t ” ” a r t o t ' ° r " " '
to provide tha officer with p ro ced u ra tg u ld e^ ir 'eT tr i'-t
hm, ,„ ettecuting his duties in a professi°onalTin„er
s:::rpr:L?i:n!̂L“w -
No manual can be a substitute tor intelligence s e n t
judgm ent and discretion. The comole.uity and d i ; .; ,“ r„ e
.no law enforcement proiession forbid H »rop :-u :'lm
.0 oyed as guide, the manual shouid com ' lem en^'',„t place intelliamnce * • . '■^•^-pienient, not re-
.promote the hfo 'el, sfaTd-td o" " " ' “ ’=>
ntomher „f ,h ^ e p a ^ r r e n u lth L r e T o u T r a i^
Duane J. Ausetts
Director of Public Safety
(
f i / ■> n > ' 1 ■•
1 >-fo '1 t 0 0 '
ACTION TAKEN CODS
AB
CD
G
Report sub.'nitted.
Unablo to locale com
plainant.
Unable to locate add.
Unable to locate sus
pect.
No PoUee Action
needed.
Problem settled.
Advise of proper
agency to contact.
Vehicle checired all
right.
Person checked all
right.
300. Use of Force
301. Introduction
The authority to car
LM
NOP
Q
Pv
Property checked all
right.
Verbal v/arning.
Issued traffic citation.
Made arrest.
Made contact report.
Assisted Officer.
Call handled by other
agency.
Other.
Message delivered.
Message delivered; left
note.
' - lethal wsapor.s and to usa
physical xorca m the e.'cecution of official duties bur
dens each member to be mature, controlled and ^e-
sponoiDle m hzs use of, and attitude tov/ards it. The
o.lo^/mg guidelines and procedures siiall be foTowed
by menabar. It a.-.,a!d be u.ederstood thei , p„.
-c.m an is not protected by law when his use of force
IS excessive. Any member who resorts to force b -
yond tne standards imposed by law and this D eoarl
m.nb shall subject himself to disciolinarj^ action
damage suits and criminal prosecutiom
302. Members shall restrict their use of physical ^^rce M
the minimum required to effectively complete th^i;
assigned duties after peaceful alternatives have bee^
exhausted.
303. V/hen m akinj k „ f d l t,rrdr,td, memb« 3 shall „sa
pnysical force only to the extent necessary to over
come resistance and effect the arrest.
or attempts
hrea.ens to inflict injury upon himself, other per-
r
r •V
, I ̂ I
‘ -i IC f >
■J o r d- / O j
308,
307.
305,
308.
309.
310.
311.
311
313.
sons or the arresting member, the am.ount of physical
force reasonably required to preve.nt hmi from doLng
so, and to bring under complete control shall be used°
Members shall resort to the miinimum physical force
required to prevent a crime or breach of peace.
A member shall resort to the use of a deadly force
when he reasonably believes it is necessary to defend
him self or other persons from death or serious phyi-
cal injury.
A member snail use a deadly lorce when necessary to
effect the arrest for a felony dangerous to human life
(murder, manslaughter, rape, armed robbery, first-
degree robbery, arson or kidnaping) after peaceful
alternatives have been exhausted.
A member shall use a deadly force when reasonably
required to prevent the escape of an arrestee for a
felony dangerous to human life.
A member shall use a deadly force when reasonably
required to prevent the commission of a felony dan
gerous to human life.
Members shall not fire warning shots under any cir
cumstances. Weapons shall be drawn onlj’’ when re
quired as provided for under this section.
A member shall not fire his v.'eapon under circum
stances that CQuld result in injury or death of inno
cent persons.
Tvlembars shall not fire at moving vehicles unless re
quired to effect the arrest for a felony and
1. there is immediate danger to human life unless the
vehicle is stopped.
2. the area is such that there is no danger to innocent
parties should the vehicle go out of control.
Members may shoot to destroy an injured animal
when no humane officer is available and no other
means are at the member’s disposal. A written report
shall be submitted.
314. Wlienever the use of force is necessary, the arresting
officer w ill charge the person with resisting arrest
and file a report stating the details of the incident,
the nature and extent of force used, and the extent of
any injuries resulting from the use of force.
315. If the arrestee is injured seriously, the member shall
summon an ambulance to the scene and report the
incident to his superior officer. If there is doubt as
to the extent of injury, he shall consult his superior
officer before requesting the ambulance.
316. Members shall submit written reports to the Chief of
Police every time their weapons are discharged either
by accident or on purpose (except during practice at
approved ranges).
400. Firearms
401. Introduction
The following standards and procedures are estab
lished to promote in each mem.ber the responsibility
and proficiency that accompanies the authority to
carry and use firearms in the line of duty.
402. Members shall carry only assigned weapons of the
Department or a personal weapon approved in writing
by the Chief of Police. All weapons shall have a
minimum caliber of .38.
403. Members will be required to qualify with their
weapons six times per year at scheduled times and
ranges. Members assigned a Department weapon but
having permission to carry a personal v/eapon will be
required to qualify with both. Those not qualifying
w ill be given instructions by the range officer until
qualification is achieved.
404. Members shall keep their weapons clean and in good
orderly condition. Firearms are subject to inspection
at roll call and qualification. Members failing inspec-
f .
0(H>
1 i-ini^ ' 5 1 •i O J
c
tion shall take immediate action to meet Department
standards. Repeated failure shall warrant discipli
nary action.
405. Instruction and commands of the Range Officer shall
be obeyed without regard to rank. General rules shall
be posted in a conspicuous place and obeyed bv all
members.
40S. No intoxicated persons or alcoholic beverages shall be
allowed on or in the vicinity of the firing range.
407. Anyone violating the rules of the Range shall be re
ported to the Chief of Police and subject to discipli
nary action.
408. Members shall handle, carry, transport and use fire
arms in a cautious, responsible manner. They shall
engage in no unnecessary or excessive display of
weapons.
409. Members may carry weapons when off-duty, even
when traveling within the State of Tennessee, but this
is not advised. It should be done only when needed
for police purposes. Your right to carry a weapon in
another state should be verified with authorities there
before doing so.
500. National Crime Information Center
501. Introduction
The National Crime Information Center is a c o m
puterized index to documented police information
concerning stolen property and individuals wanted on
federal or felony warrants. Access to this inform.a-
tion is provided by the Department terminal giving
Kno.xville a direct line to the central computer in
Washington, D.C. The terminal’s national character
gives it both nation-wide and local significance. Its
success in K noxville depends upon the extent to
which it is used.
(}00m H8
I T i O
KAIISAS CITY, WO. POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
; a t e o f i ssu e
11-21-73
l E F F E C T I V E O A T E
11-21-73
; AMENG3
r/I
Firearms Policy
EFERÊ Ĉ Z R E S C I N D S
V '
General Order 72-23 and any other
rule, policy, order, etc,, that
conflicts with this order.
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this order is to provide a single source of
reference for all department members as to the authorization, discharge
and carrying of firearms.
II. POLICY
An officer is equipped with a firearm to defend himself o.r others
against deadly force, or the threat of imminent deadly force. However,
when a firearm is used by an officer, it must be with the realization
that the death of some person may occur. Justification for the use
of an officer's firearm is limited to facts known to the officer or
perceived by an officer at the time he decides to shoot. Facts unknown
to the officer cannot be considered in later determining justification
of the shooting.
The law authorizes an officer to use deadly force (use of firearm)
when it appears necessary to protect himself or others from what
reasonably appears as an immediate threat of great bodily harm or
imminent peril of death. No policy of this department shall limit
that law. ---
The following revisions are based on legitimate public concern
as reflected in the Am.erican Bar Association's standards. National
Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals, "Police",
the Proposed Criminal Code for the State of Missouri developed by the
Committee to draft a Missouri Modern Criminal Code, and the citizens
of Kansas City, Missouri.
III. PROCEDURES
A. Authorization of Firearms
1. All officers shall be armed with an approved firearm at all
times when on duty. An approved firearm is defined as a
department issued service revolver or an American made, solid
frame revolver of .38 caliber.
a. All officers when working in uniform shall carry the
• department issued service revolver.
1741
b. All officers when on duty in civilian clothes shall carry
the department issued service revolver or an approved
firearm.
c. Officers assigned to the Investigations Bureau or Special
Operations Division, whose official duties may require
carrying a firearm other than those authorized above,
must receive prior written approval from their bureau
or division commander to carry this firearm.
2. The carrying of a firearm while off-duty is encouraged, but
shall be at the ontion of the officer. He shall not be subject
to disciplinary action if an occasion should arise in which
he could have taken action but did not do so because he was
unarmed. If the officer elects to carry a firearm off-duty,
it must be a department approved revolver.
3. V̂ ien an officer anticipates that he will consume alcoholic
beverages in an off-duty situation, he is advised not to carry
his firearm. If the need arises for police services while
an off-duty officer is visiting an establislment which serves
liquor, the officer shall call the dispatcher and request
that on duty officers respond.
4. Officers engaged in off-duty employment which requires the
performance of police related services shall be armed with a
UĈ /cAi. t.iucj.iu cippi.*OVcu
5. Firearms carried while in civilian clothing shall be concealed
from public view.
6. The department issued service revolver will not be modified
in any manner, except that factory made, checkered, oversized,
walnut grips may be used.
7 . Firearms will be loaded with departm.ent approved ammunition,
which shall not be modified in any way.
8. All officers are prohibited from carrying automatic pistols
except as set forth in III., A., 1., c.
9. An officer shall never brandish a firearm, nor remove a
firearm from its holster, other than in the proper performance
of duty.
10. Off-duty officers, while operating a department vehicle, will
be armed with an approved firearm.
Officers will provide maximum security for all firearms in
their custody.
1 M ^
J - I “-JC , w
4 .
-
B.' Authorization for the Discharge of Fireams
1. A police officer is authorized and has the duty to prevent
an attack with a deadly weapon on himself, a fellow officer
or a member of the public by utilizing whatever force necessary,
including the use of firearms.
An officer may discharge a firearm for any of the following
reasons:
To defend himself or other parties from death or serious
injury.
In effecting an arrest when he reasonably believes such
use of deadly force is immediately necessary to effect
the arrest and he also has knowledge at the moment
he fires that the person to be arrested:
U-<-l) Has committed or attempted to commit a felony
involving the use or threatened use of violent
physical force against a person.
1^2) May otherwise endanger life or inflict other serious
physical injury unless arrested without delay. ^
When an attempt is made through the use or a deadly
weapon or a threat of great bodily harm, to rescue
a prisoner who is in the lawful custody of an officer,
c. At a fleeing felon only if he (the officer) has knowledge
at the moment he fires that the fleeing suspect has
committed a crime of violence such as murder, rape, armed
robbery and other lesser offenses, e.g,, kidnapping,
aggravated assault with serious injury. However, an
officer may fire only after all other alternatives of
apprehension have been exhausted,
d. To kill a dangerous animal or to kill an animal so badly
injured that it should be destroyed to prevent further
suffering.
3. Officers are prohibited from discharging firearms in the
following instances:
a. To effect the arrest of a person who has committed less
than a felony.
b. When it appears likely that an innocent person will be hit.
« c ('0(]<!:■: I
-4-
g-
j/̂ c. At anyone whom he believes may be a juvenile unless the
actions of the juvenile suspect represent a direct threat
to the life of the officer or other innocent persons, and
only then as a last resort. The officer will be required
to prove that his judgement in the matter of age was
reasonable. If there is any doubt as to the age of the
subject, the officer should not shoot. A juvenile is
defined as a youth sixteen (16) years of age or younger.
d. At a moving automobile or from a moving automobile is
prohibited unless the occupant(s) of the automobile or
a suspect(s) represents a direct threat to the life and/or
safety of the officer or other innocent persons, and then
only as a last resort.
e. At a crowd.
f. Warning shots are prohibited.
At a suspect(s) who is holding an innocent person as a
hostage when firing would endanger the hostage or any
other innocent person, except in cases of an "Operation 100
when authorized by a Tactical Unit captain or an officer
of higher rank.
4. The following guidelines are provided to aid officers who are
required to discharge firearms at a felon.
a. The discharge of a firearm is an irreversible action and if
possible, an officer should, prior to firing, evaluate the
following:
(1) Other methods of effecting the arrest and/or apprehension.
(2) Age of the suspect(s) and the offense(s) committed.
(3) Direction the firearm is to be discharged.
(4) Is the fleeing suspect in plain view? Extreme caution
must be used at night as darkness may obscure the
officer's vision.
(5) The danger of firing the firearm while running or
jumping due to the possibility that other persons or
property may be struck by the projectile(s),
b. If possible, and if time and conditions permit, an officer
should assume a department approved position, for which
he has been trained, prior to the discharge of his firearm.
,74±
- 5 -
• L
c. An officer should resolve anv doubt in his mind against
the use of firearms prior to shooting.
d. In summary, every possible consideration should be taken
prior to the use of a firearm, and if an officer believes
that under existing conditions he should not use a firearm
to apprehend a felon, he will not be criticized or disciplined
for this decision and his decision to employ every other
means to effect an arrest.
5. The following guidelines are provided to aid officers who are
required to destroy an animal.
a. An animal will be destroyed only after all attempts to
notify an agency capable of disposing of the animal
(Animal Control, Wayside Waifs, etc.) have been made, and
the agency will not respond or has not responded after a
reasonable length of time.
b. If time permits, officers will adhere to the following
steps;
(1) Effect steps to ensure the safety of all citizens,
property and other animals by moving the animal that
is to be destroyed to an area of relative safety, and
out of public view if possible. This area may b'e a
vacant lot. rear yard or a roadway medial strip. The
primary concern is that the animal should be placed
* upon the ground (in lieu of pavement) to decrease
the possibility of ricochet.
(2) Shoot the animal from close range (5 to 15 feet,
maximum, if possible).
(3) Shoot "down" into the animal so that the projectile,
if exiting the animal's body, will enter the ground.
(4) Shoot the animal in the brain to minimize suffering.
EXCEPTION; If the possibility of rabies or that the
animal has bitten someone exists, the animal cannot
be shot in the brain. In these cases, the animal should
be shot in the chest cavity, directly behind either
front leg.
(5) Upon destroying an animal. Public Works should be
notified without delay for removal of the animal's
body. EXCEPTION; If the possibility of rabies or
that,the animal has bitten someone exists, the animal's
>•. body will have to be removed to Municipal Animal
Control, 861-0123.
D
i; H'! > i '•
i-i ,1 ■ ■
•6-
Discha'.-ge of Fireanas Investigations
1. The Internal Affairs Unit will investigate all incidents in
which an officer discharges a firearm, on or off-duty, except
the following:
a. Xlie discharge of firearms on the department range and all
other forms of target practice.
b. Sporting events, to include hunting and organized
shooting matches.
c. The test firing of firearms.
2. The investigation conducted bv the Internal Affairs Unit w’ill
be in addition to any investiaation conduc ted bv the Investiaaticns
Bureau and thos e conduc ted bv the Investieations Bureau wi11
take precedence.
Immediately following the discharge of a firearm at a person,
it will be the responsibility of the officer or officers involved
to notify the dispatcher who will notify the officer's division
or bureau commander, assistant division commander, unit commander
and immediate supervisor. The immediate on duty supervisor
will respond to the scene. The dispatcher will also immediately
notify the appropriate Internal Affairs Unit•investigators
and Tnvosti n ‘nnc P.M-roan if pTM̂ lir'oKI,-j. j.— —
a. When an officer from a division other than patrol is involved
and his immediate supervisor is unable to respond, a patrol
sector sergeant will be utilized in lieu of the officer's
immediate supervisor.
b. When an officer is off-duty, he will notify the dispatcher
who will notify the patrol sector sergeant and division or
assistant division commander responsible for the area in
which the incident occurs and the appropriate Internal
Affairs Unit investigator(s) and the Investigations
Bureau, if applicable, and they will respond.
Incidents involving the SHOOTING OF A PERSON will be investigated
by the Investigations Bureau and Internal Affairs Unit. The
investigations will be initiated immediately and completed as
soon as possible. A thorough and objective investigation of
the facts pertinent to the incident will be conducted.
a. The field supervisor responding to the scene will be
responsible for the following duties:
o
00.7
1 (I a
- 7 -
(1) CoT.mand of the scene orotection of the scene and
b.
o
evidence until arrival of the assistant division cocranander.
(2) The supervisor will determine when the officer involved
is no longer needed at the scene and;
(3) Accompany the officer directly to the Crimes Against
Person Unit and;
(4) Refer the officer to the commanding officer or the
sergeant in charge of the Crimes Against Person Unit.
The assistant division commander (or unit commander) responding
to the scene will be responsible for the following duties:
(1) Comm.and at the scene and protection of the scene and
evidence until the arrival of the Investigations Bureau
investigator(s) who will assume command upon arrival.
(2) The scene will be protected by immediately roping off
the immediate area, if possible, and removing all
unauthorized persons, including police officers not
required at the scene. The scene will be protected
until the completion of all investigations.
(3) The ecsistant division commander (or unit commander")
will remain at the scene until no longer needed by
the Investigations Bureau and Internal Affairs Unit
investigators.
5. In all other incidents involving the discharge of a firearm,
(SHOOTING AT A PERSON. DESTROYING AN ANIMAL. ACCIDENT.^ DISCHARGE.
ETC.), the officer, his immediate supervisor (or the aforementioned
substitutes) and the assistant division commander will remain at
the scene until the arrival of the Internal Affairs Unit
investigator.
6. All officers who are witnesses to an incident will remain at the
scene until the arrival of the Investigations Bureau and/or
Internal Affairs Unit investigators, so arrangements for necessary
statements can be made.
7. The officer involved will protect his weapon for examination by
the Internal Affairs Unit investigator.
a. When an officer is injured and has discharged his firearm,
the firearm will be secured by his immediate supervisor (or
the aforementioned substitutes) or the assistant division
commander, who will make the firearm available for
examination.
. C 0004:^;)
1 M1 t hiT
-8-
b. When more than one officer has discharged a firearm in an
incident, a ballistics examination of all firearms dis
charged will be conducted.
D. Discharge of Firearm Report
1. Each time an officer discharges a firearm except those listed
in Section C-1 of this order, he will be required to submit a
detailed report of the circumstances on a department Form 100 P.D.,
entitled "Discharge of Firearms." The report will be submitted
as soon as possible after the incident. The report will be
completed in the following sequence and contain the following
information:
a. Name and serial number of officer who discharged the
firearm(s).
b. Date and time of occurrence.
c. Location of occurrence.
d. Type, caliber, and serial number of firearm(s) discharged.
e. Type and caliber of ammunition fired.
f. Number of shots fired and direction shots were fired.
g. Description of object fired at. (If person, name, race,
sex, DOE, etc., if known; if an animal, a brief description).
h. Whether or not the object fired at was moving, standing or
barricaded and direction of travel if in a vehicle.
i. Whether or not the officer or officers were moving in a
vehicle, standing, running, barricaded, etc.
j. Results of the shot(s) fired (extent of wounds, other
objects struck, etc.).
k. Names of supervisor, commander and investigators responding
to scene.
l. Other pertinent information concerning the incident written
in narrative form. To be included are the reasons for the
use of firearms, etc.
E. Homicide by Officers in the Performance of Police Duty
1. When an officer of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department,
on or off-duty, kills a person, a thorough and objective
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i n v e s t i g a t i o n of the fac t s and circumstances w i l l be i n i t i a t e d
inmediate lv , and completed as soon as p o s s ib l e by the I n v e s t ig a t io n s
Bureau.
The o f f i c e r resp on s ib le for a homicide s h a l l be r e l i e v e d of
duty by h is commanding o f f i c e r , without lo s s of pay or b e n e f i t s ,
pending the r e s u l t s of the i n v e s t i g a t i o n .
a. The o f f i c e r s h a l l be a v a i la b le at a l l times for o f f i c i a l
in terv iew s and statements regarding the case , and s h a l l be
subjec t to r e c a l l to duty a t any time. He s h a l l n o t i f y the
Chief of P o l ice prior to le av ing the c i t y .
b. The o f f i c e r s h a l l not d iscu ss the case with any one except
the prosecuting attorney and department personnel . This
does not p roh ib i t the o f f i c e r from d i s c u s s in g the case with
h i s a t t o r n e y ( s ) .
The p o l i c y out l ined hereinbefore i s not intended to imply or
in d ic a te that the o f f i c e r has acted improperly.
When a d e c i s io n has been made by the prosecutor or the Grand
Jury r e l a t i v e to the homicide, the Chief of P o l ice w i l l :
a. Suspend the o f f i c e r , without pay, i f the prosecutor f i l e s
criminal charges or the Grand Jury returns a true b i l l ,
b. R einstate the o f f i c e r to a c t iv e duty i f the prosecutor
determines the homicide to be j u s t i f i a b l e or the Grand
Jury returns a "no b i l l , " except in those s i t u a t i o n s where
pending department charges require the o f f i c e r to be under
suspension.
:ph D. McNamara
Chief of P o l ice
DISTRIBUTION: All Personnel
A l l Bureaus, D iv i s io n s , and Units
To be read at a l l r o l l c a l l s and to be posted on a l l b u l l e t i n
boards for one week.
I have read the above order and f u l l y understand i t . _
Date
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THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE BY
BOSTON POLICE PEISOMsEL
Boston Police Dcpartrrient
Planning and Research Division
I^ay 5, 1974
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Intrcductlcn
Current Firearms Discharge Policy
In the Boston Police Department....................... page 1
Current Rev lev/ Procedures In
the Boston Police Department...........................page 2
Boston Police Firearm Discharges (1970-1973)...........page 4
Discharge Sur.mary Cliarts...............................page 10
Firearm Policies of Other Large-City
Police Departments............. page 13
Review Policies of Other Departments.......... page 17
Judicial Review - A Legal Perspective..................pago 24
General Considerations................................. page 26
Third Annual Report of the Use of Service
Weapons Review Board - Washington, D. 0 ............Appendix A
Use of Deadly Force - Policy Options............... Appendix B
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INTRODUCT i ON
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The use of force, and specifically the use of firearms by
police officers, is an issue that has evoked a considerable amount
of discussion in recent years. This dialogue has shown signs of
increasing in both frequency and intensity. Indeed, each time a
suspect is fatally wounded by a police officer, the issue comes
under the glare of close public scrutiny and questioning.
This high visibility, and the irrevocabiIity of deadly force
make it imperative that the Boston Police Department carefully
and objectively review the policies, rules, and regulations governing
application of such force by Its members. The use of a firearm is
the ultimate force that a police officer can apply. Because of
many possible ramifications from the use of firearms the Department
should consi'anrly be alert to ways in which, through proper regulation,
the use of such force can be kept to the minimum amount necessary.
It Is important to understand, first and foremost, that society
has undergone fairly dramatic changes within the last 15 years. The
civil rights movement, the war and Its resultant domestic conflicts, and
the broad dissatisfaction among students and young people, have all
been indications that our society has been involved in a significant
metamorphosis. It is essential that the proposed changes in the De
partment's firearm's policy be considered in the context of an over
all change in the traditional viev/s of the role and function of the
police, keeping in mind that these proposed changes in policing are
an outgrowth of the broader changes in society.
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Because of initude of the problem and the many cuestlons
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that are raised, we have seen the need to discuss certain important
areas under Individual headings. This approach, while significantly
clarifying these areas, may also present a- possible barrier to
attaining an overall perspective of the entire firearms question; we
have therefore included a section cf general considerations ■. .
v.'hich, whi le based largely upon the data contained herein, do not
lend themselves to a strictly empirical evaluation. Hopefully,
this will serve as a basis for discussing the policy options set
forth in the final section.
It has not been our purpose to, at any time, focus on an in
dividual case or a particular unit v/Ithin the Department. In those
few Instances where specific Incidents are cited, they have been
mentioned as being representative of a particular Issue or problem
area that we believe is relevant and should be dealt with as such.
The need for widespread public support of the police Is clear.
This support can only be obtained if a large segm.ent of the community
has faith In the integrity of the police. Yet overseeing the
activities of the police is almost exclusively an internal function,
with little public involvement. . Clearly, the public must be con.-
vinced that the police are doing a thorough job of self-regulation.
Nowhere Is this more important than when the police officer uses
deadly force, particularly when he discharges a firearm.
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FIREARMS POLICIES - OTHER DEPARTMENTS
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In the past several years, a significant number of police de
partments across the country have given consideration to the ques
tion of police use of deadly force, specifically use of service re
volvers. in many instances, departments have made revisions aimed
primarily at clarifying existing regulations. in reviewing these
policies, we found that there are several rather distinct categories
into v;hich policies can be grouped.
The first category can be said to include those cities that
currently have in force what could be termed a "traditional" policy.
This policy has two basic points:
1. A police officer Is authorized to use that force necessary to
protect himself or others from loss of life or great bodily
harm at the hands of another, and
2. to effect the arrest or prevent the escape of a person whom the
officer knows, or has probable cause to believe, has committed
a felony, when all other means fail.
These are the major points of the present policy of this De
partment. Other departments which use this type of policy include
Minneapolis, Newark, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Cleveland ard Kansas
City. Obviously, the formats are different, but the basic core of
these policies is that officers are allowed to use deadly for^e
either to prevent death or serious injury to themselves or others,
or to apprehend a known felon. Also, these policies take a specific
approach - that is they rely on do’s and don'ts to communicate the
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Intention of the policy. Hence, while they are somewhat more de
finitive, they are also potentially restrictive with regard to
certain situations.
The second category is the one Into which the majority of large
cities in the country fail.. A typical policy in this group
would contain the two major provisions of those in the first
category, except that the part of the policy which dealt with the
apprehension of fleeing felons makes a distinction between serious
and non-serious felonies. That is, officers are allowed to fire
their weapons only if the perpetrator has, in the process of com
mitting an offense, presented a threat of serious injury or deaih
to someone.
Sometimes specific offenses are listed for which deadly force
can be used. Indeed, there is somewhat of a distincticn within
this second category, as some departments allow the use of deadly
force for a very limited num.ber of crim.es, while others authorize
its use in more frequent situations. Among the more restrictive are
Washington, O.C., San Francisco, Dallas, Philadelphia, Oakland, At-
lanta, Ne-.- Orleans, Honolulu, and Phoenix. These departments, when
they do list offenses, limit them to a very few, i.e., homicide, rob
bery, raps, arson and kidnapping. N'ost do not provide a listing,
rather they simply require an imm.ediate, clear-cut threat to life.
Those departm.ents which provide a list containing additicnaj. offenses
include Chicago, Seattle, Memphis and Buffalo. The most frequent
additional offenses for which these cities authorize the use of deadly
force Include burglary, breaking and entering, and various "assaults^^ ̂ ̂̂
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There are three other departments which we feei should be
looked at closely. V.'hlle their policies are somewhat different
from each other, we group them together because they are rather
unique and distinct from the previous policies discussed in the
first two categories.
Los Anoeles, California
. The first of these is Los Angeles. The policy is one which
sets certain limitations, but relies very heavily on each officer
to interpret the specifics. For example, relative to felony sus
pects, section 556.50 of the policy stames, in part:
"...It is not practical to enumerate specific felonies
and state with certainty fnat the escape of the perpe
trator must be prevented at all costs, or that there
are other felonious crim.es where the perpetrator must
be allowed to escape rather than to shoot him. Such
decisions are based on sound judgemisnt, not arbitrary
check 1i sts."
Clearly, the Departm.ent wants officers to exercise discretion
when apprehending felons however, it provides little In terms of
specific guidance. The regulations for juveniles and warning shots
are similar. The degree of accountability is substantial however;
there is a strong review board to oversee weapons discharges.
New York City
The second Departm.ent is Mew York City. New York handles both the
questions of protection of lives and apprehension of felons by
stating that, "In all cases, only the minimum am,cunt of force will
be used which is consistent with the accomplishment of a mission.
Every other reasonable means v/i I I be uti I Ized for arresting, pre
venting or terminating a felony or for the defense of oneseif or
3 p,other before a police officer resorts to ih.e use of his firearm.
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Hence, this policy does not rr.ention specific crimes, indeed it
does not even make a distinction between serious and non-serious
felonies, however. It does make clear the serious nature of a
firearm discharge. Additionally, it sets down certain prohibitions,
such as warning shots, and shots from or at a moving vehicle.
San Dieco, CaI 1forn1 a
The final policy is that of the San Diego Police Department.
It allows the firing of a gun in the following situations:
1. To protect the l i fe of an officer or another person or to
preveni" serious injury when There is no al'ernative.
2. To apprehend a violent person who is known to be armed and_
dancerous and v.'ho cannot be apprehended witnout risking
loss of life or serious injury.
This policy is certainly more restrictive than most, however,
it is relatively concise and definitive. Similar to New York's,
there is also a listing of situations In which firearms are not to
be used.
Aside from the question of apprehension of a felon which, as
we have shown, departments have confronted in different ways, there
are other issues which are often dealt with in firearms policies.
The most common of these Is the use of warning shots. Of the nine
teen departments.we surveyed, sixteen strictly forbade such a dis
charge, two cautioned against it and one had no policy. (It should
be noted that the concept of a discharge "for assistance" was
rarely encountered and never permitted.)
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Another frequently mentioned problem was the firing at or
from a moving vehicle. There was no consensus found, as two de
partments strictly prohibited it, eight limited it to the most
serious ci rcum,stances, and nine had no restrictions.
Finally, the question of firing at juveniles was seldom con
fronted. Only a very few departments advised officers with regard
to this subject, with the general philosophy being to refrain
from shooting unless there was an immiediate threat to life.
REVIEW POLICIES - OTHER DEPARTMENTS
Washington D.C.
Among the most notable review procedures is the Washingicn,
D.C. Police Department's Use of Service V.'eapcn Review Board ■.‘•’hich
was established approximately three years ago. With the exception
of adequately safeguarded target practice, ail firearms discharges
as may be referred for consideration by the Chief of Police are
reviewed by this board. Included as members of the board are the
General Counsel, acting as chairman; the Commander of the Patrol
Division, and the Commander of the Criminal Investigation Division.
Looking at the actual duties of the Board, it can be best
characterized as an advisory arm of the Chief's Office. This is
in no way intended to de-ernphasize the authority of the Board since,
in virtually all cases, their recommendations were accepted by the
Chief. These recom.m.endations ranged from exoneration, to filing
the case with prejudice, to the termination of the officer. A
comprehensive picture of the duties and scope of the Board can be
gained by referring to the sum.m.ary of cases before the Board during
a recent year, (see Appendix A)
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In many of the instances, the suspect was not armed. In
fact, in 41 out of 44 "for assistance" discharge incidents, a
fleeing suspect v/as Involved, It seems quite possiblie; then, that
police officers were using this type of discharge as a warning
shot, something that is simply not allowed under present De
partmental policy. But we can never be sure, since as we mentioned,
the allowance of such a discharge provides for a significant lack
of accountability. Aside from the dangers inherent in such a dis
charge, this lack of accountability alone is. In our opinion, a
strong reason to remove such a discharge from the acceptable
category.
There are other reasons to prohibit such a discharge. The
San Frcr.ciscc Police Department makes the following points about
warning shots in its Patrol Officer's Manuai: "For every suspect
who surrenders upon hearing v/arning shots, there are others who
flee that much faster. The danger of injuring an Innocent by
stander or of a ricochet are always present and it should also be
noted that officers other than the one who discharged a v/arning
shot may easily be decoyed into' killing a suspect by believing
that the officer's shot was indeed offered to kill, not to warn."
If these points are valid for warning shots, they must certainly be
valid for shots for assistance.
As a final point in this area, we must question the effectiveness
of such discharges, even if they were restricted to those situations
in which an officer needed help. While the sound of a gunshot is
cerfainly loud enough to be heard over a fairly wide distance,
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0x©rcisin9 in i”hls si“̂u3TIon•
Perhaps the rrost important consideration is the fact that in
cur criminal justice system, with the exception of extreme cases
involving a hcmocide or other crime involving potential deadly
force, Juveniles are never convicted of any crime. Rather, their
cases are adjudicated. Upon reaching adulthood, juveniles’ re
cords are expunged. Obviously if they have been fatally wounded,
they do not have the second chance, the chance to start with a
clean record, for which our system of justice provides. Indeed
anytime an officer fires his weapon at a suspect he may be bringing
to an end the criminal justice process with a degree of finalixy
that has no equal.
Additionally, the shooting of a juvenile by the police,
whether or not it is legally justifiable, inevitably provokes
cries of brutality from large segments of the community.
The adverse effects cn police-community relations mandate
considerable restraint in all those cases that do not involve an
immediate and clear-cut threat to a human life.
it is essential that serious consideration be given to modi
fying the Depari'ment’s procedures for investigating firearms dis
charges. As presently s-^ructured, a follow-up investigation depends
totally upon the personal initiation of such an Inquiry by a respon
sible official who at some point in tim.e questions The accuracy of
a discharge report or the propriety of the discharge itself.
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ALL PERSONNEL F?.0:,i: ciilEF H. E. LUX
DATE; CCTOEER 23, 1959
SUBJECT; Arrest Procedures
0
Irf Service Training Bulletin on Arrest Procedures
Reviewed and authorized by
The Director of Fire - Police
and
Chief of Pol ice
Issued
October 23, 1959
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Efforts to dostrc')' goverr.T.onts have started with the neutralization
.o f law enforcer.ent and thus r.aking law enforcement ineffective.
This technique has been used many times. We must give no one nor
any organization any basis for legitimate attacks on this Depart
ment. The reputation of this Department as the nation's f inest
has been made by the dedication, co.mpetence and eff iciency of
i t s personnel; individually and co l lect ive ly . There has been
considerable publicity recently in the newspapers regarding
alleged "police brutality." We have publicly stated that brutality
will not be condoned or permitted in the Memphis Police Depart
ment and we believe we were speaking for every member of this De
partment. At the same time, we have and will back each member of
the Department who acts within the law and performs in a pro-
• fessional m.annar. -We will not be stampeded by rash, irresponsible
charges of any person or group. We will be influenced only by the
facts as they exist .
The state laws concerning making arrests are:
40.803. RESISTANCE TO OFFICER.-If, after notice of
the intention to arrest the defendant, he either f lee
or forcible r e s i s t , the off icer may use all the necessary
means to effect the arrest. [Code 1858, #5040, Shan.,
#7000; Code 1932,- #11539.]
The Tennessee Supreme Court has held:
"As regards the means to which ,an off icer may resort to
make an arrest, the law sharply distinguishes between felonies and
misdemeanors. While an off icer may shoot or even kil l a fe lo n ,
uno.ic^n
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i f that is the only rroans of taicing hi;ii on prevc-ntinq his escape;
yet in doing so th.e off icer acts at, ;iis peri l , for a jury rtav
find tnac tnere was no reasonable necessity for the ki l l ing and
that^he is guilty of at least ntanslaugnter. But an off icer has
no right to siioot at one guilty of only a nisdereanor to stop
his f l ight or prevent his escape.
"If with diligence and caution the prisoner rrn'cht
otherwise be taken or held, the o f f icer will not be just i f ied for
the ki l l ing, even though the prisoner may have co™itted a felony."
The above law and State Supreme Court decisions are set out as all
of us should be constantly reminded of rights and obligations
as police off icers. Although force is necessary and required in
appropriate instances to effect an arrest, defend ourselves and
fellcv/ off icers, and prevent the escape of fleeing fe lons , we
all realize that only that force which is necessary is permitted
by law and no more, and none of us wish to use any more force than
is necessary.
\
The Memphis Police Department at the present time enjoys the respect
and support of the law abiding cit izens of Memphis. Let us con
tinue to prove to all Memphians that that respect is not misplaced.
The future of this conir.unity depends upon i t .
We know that we can count on every member of the Mem,phis Police De-
partm,ent to discharge his duties fa ir ly but firmly without regard
to race, creed or economic status, and without fear of favor. Crime
and lawlessness in Memphis will be reduced as we all continue to
diligently discharge our duties despite the efforts of some to
harass us and reduce our effect iveness.
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r ' y :These statistics are conpiled from the Memphis
^^spartment' s arrest statistics. Crrm.es are comoiled into the following categories:
Violent Crimes: Murder and Non-negligent ManslaughterManslaughter
Forcible Rape Robber^’’
Aggravated Assault
Property Crimes: Burglary - Breaking and EnteringLarceny - Theft Auto Theft
other Crimes: All Others
Arrests of persons for the years 1970-Juveniles (Under 18) Adults
Total Arrests 34,177 161,736Blacks 22,075 92,366Whites 12,078 69,083Others 24 287*% Black 64% 57%
Violent Crimes 763 2,710Blacks 686 2,196VJhites 77 511Others 0 3% Black 89% 81%
Property Crimes 13,998 12,666Blacks 10,242 8,569Whites 3,753 4,080Others 3 17% Black 73% 67%
Other Crimes 19,416 146,360Blacks 11,147 81,601Whites 8,248 64,492Others 21 267% Black 57% 55%
Total
(Juveniles S Adults)
1S5114
81
913441
16131158%
3,4732,882588
382%
26,66418,8117,833
2070%
165,77692,748
72,74028855%
*168 Others from 1971 not included
herein. See MPD
statistics for 1971.
I i I
17 g ;
i • • ' ^ i*"
A
1
1 : ^ -
. ; -
' r . ' i
i :
I ^ 0 4
‘yc/H
These statistics are compiled from the Memphis
Police Department's arrest statistics. Crimes are compiled
into the following categories:
Violent Crimes: Murder and Non-negligent Manslaughter
Manslaughter
Forcible Rape
Robbery
Aggrevated Assault
Property Crimes: Burglary-Breaking and Entering
Larceny-Theft
Auto Theft
Arrests of oersons for the years 1969'-71.
Juveniles Adults Total
(Under 18) (Juveniles & Adults)
Violent Crimes 364 1,375 1,739
Blacks 330 1,127 1,457
Whites 26 248 274
% Black 90% 82% 84%
Property Crimes 7,506 6,960 14,4 6-6
Blacks 5,855 4,764 10,619
Whites 1,651 2,196 3,847
% B'lack 78% 68% 73%
1 ‘ ‘ r » i C
17GJ
— ' \
Statistical Analysis
for
Uiiley vs. Memphis Police Department
Submitted by:
Dr. Charles T. Kenny
Psychologist
President, Criterion Development Associates, Inc,
UJhite Station Toiler Suite 1625
5050 Poplar Avenue
IKlemphis, Tennessee 38157
(901) 682-8569
■J ■) V. ̂ ’ .
1 '1 i b j
X. \
Criterion Development Associates, Inc. has conducted
statistical analyses on data submitted by the iKlemphis Police
Department to Ratner, Sugarmon, Lucas and Salky in connection
with Uiiley vs. lYlemphis Police Department. The statistical
analysis consisted of a series of z-tests. These tests compared
the percentage of blacks arrested for certain categories of
crimes with the percentage of black suspects shot at by police
in connection with the same categories of crimes. These tests
reveal which comparisons' show differences large enough to be
statistically significant at a level of confidence greater than
would be expected by chance. In this report, where statistically
significant differences are reported, the result indicates a
disparate effect on blacks.
Data was available separately for the numbers of blacks
and whites arrested as suspects in connection with violent crimes
(murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) and in connection
with property crimes (Burglary, larceny, theft and auto theft).
Data was also available separately for the' numbers of blacks and
whites shot at in connection with both violent and property crimes.
See Table 1 for the statistics.
Table 2 shows the percentages of blacks arrested and shot
at for both categories of crimes. Uihile there is a slightly larger
percentage of blacks shot at in the midst of violent crimes than
the percentage of blacks arrested for these crimes, the difference
is not-large enough to be statistically significant. The percentage
of blacks shot at in the midst of property crimes is clearly much
higher than the percentage of blacks arrested for these crimes.
The difference is almost eighteen percentage points. It is
statistically significant at the .0001 level, which means that
there is only one chance in ten thousand that the difference is
̂̂ ! r - f ̂ / C
177j
due to change. The implication of this finding is that race has
definitely been a factor in the police shootings in the rHemphis
Police Department, and that the race factor has operated in a may
that has had a disparate effect on blacks.
I ,
17 i JL
■ "-A
TABLE 1
NUMBER OF BLACKS AND TOTAL OF
BLACKS AND lUHITES ARRESTED AND SHOT AT
FOR PROPERTY AND VIOLENT CRIMES
Arrests Police Shootings
Blacks Total
r I ‘Property ' . .■ -< 1
Crimes 18,811' 25,544
Blacks Total
V\
84 95
Violent
Crimes 2,832 3,470 53
V ’
52
n o n -iiifi
-✓
TABLE 2
PERCENTAGES OF BLACKS
ARRESTED AND SHOT AT
FOR PROPERTY AND VIOLENT CRimES
p < . 0 0 0 1
Arrested Shot At
Property Crimes
Violent Crimes
70.5^
83.1^
88.4^***
85.4^
17 7 3
fi -i
Addendum to
Statistical Analysis
for
lliiey vs. lYlemphis Police Department
Statistics for.1959-1971 Only
Submitted by:
Dr. Charles T. Kenny
Psychologist
President, Criterion Development Associates, Inc,
White Station Tou;er Suite 1525
5050 Poplar Avenue
lYlemphis, Tennessee 38157
(901) 682-8559
1 7 7 4
Based on 1959-1971 data only, the percentage of blacks
shot at in the midst of property crimes is mucin higher than the
percentage of blacks arrested for these crimes. The difference
is more than thirteen percentage points. It is statistically
significant at the .02 level, tuhich means that there are less
than tujo chances in one hundred that the difference is due to
chance. It can be concluded that tne difference is statistically
reliable. The implication of this finding is that race has
definitely been a factor in the police shootings in the Pfleriphis
Police Department, and that the race factor has operated in a
ujay that has had a disparate effect on blacks.
z > r \ ̂i *■/ '/V -i \i'
17 7 5
NUMBER OF BLACKS AND TOTAL OF
BLACKS AND UJHITES ARRESTED AND SHOT AT
FOR PROPERTY AND UlOLENT CRIIYIES
TABLE I
Arrests
Blacks Total
Police Shootings
Blacks Total
Property
Crimes 10,619 14,466 46 53
Uiol.antCrimes 1,457 1,739 18 23
1-a. / » O
PERCEiMTAGES OF BLACKS
ARRESTED AND SHOT AT
FOR PROPERTY AND l/IOLENT CRIflflES
TABLE 2
Arrested Shot at
Property Crimes
Violent Crimes
7 3.4%
33.8%
88.8%**
78.3%
p̂<. 02
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f7 »s -n ri n ^ / T \ •••.̂ /T % ?"> . r: .n
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j; • ̂ ,' • - I . ■ '5 ’ la' ’ '
f! ■ .i ^ : . . : ■ .̂ i! Y \ *1 '1 ,-; d W ;* ! ‘ . 1- '■ ■•' , » - \
U u J J u U ;i y M U 'lA ^ 1 U *aA.*3 M u k .^ d -.i u s-.' >'■ J ij It O' y
FOR RELEASE
T’JESDAY A.M., AUGUST 29, 1972
FRii'JTED ANNUALLY
N n ;
1 7 7 8
\RT
CRIME INDEX TOTALS
The Uniform Crime Reporting: Program utilizes
seven crime classificaticns to establish an index to
measure the trend and distribution of crime in the
United States. These crime?—murder, forcible
rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, lar
ceny S50 and over in value, and auto theft—are
counted by law enforcement agencies as the crimes
become knoum to them. These crimes were selected
for use in the Crime Index because, as a group,
they represent the m.ost common local crime
problem. They arc ail serious crimes, cither by
their very nature or due to the volume in which
they occur. Offenses of murder, forcible rtipe,
robbery, and aggravated assault are categorized as
^^o]ent crimes. Offenses of burglary, larceny $50
and over in value, and auto theft are classed as
crimes against property.
It is believed desirable to point out that there
is no way of determining the total number of
crimes which are committed. Many criminal acts
occur which are not reported to official sources.
Estimates as to the level of unreported crime can be
developed through costly victim interNnew surveys,
but this, or course, does not remedy the reluctance
of ^detims and/or other members of societv to re
port all crimes to law enforcement agencies.
In light of this situation, the best source for
obtaining a count of crime is the next logical
universe, namely, crimes wliich come to police
attention. The crimes used in the Crime Index are
those considered to be most consistently reported
to police and the computations of crime trends and
crime rates are prepared using this universe—
offenses known to police.
The crime counts set forth in this publication
arc actual offenses established by police investiga
tion. Wlien police receive a complaint of crime and
the follow-up investigation discloses no crime
occurred it is “unfounded.” On a national average,
police investigations “unfound” 4 percent of the
citizen complaints concerning Crime Index of
fenses ranging from 3 percent in the larceny
classification to 18 percent in forcible rape
complaints. Unfounded complaints are eliminated
from these crime counts.
In calendar year 1971 an estimated 5,995,200
Index offenses were reported to law enforcement
agencies, a 7 percent increase over 1970. The vio
lent crimes as a group made up 14 percent of the
Crime Index total and rose 11 percent, with
177<
murder, forcible rap/e, and robber}- eacli up 11
percent and e.ggravated assault up 10 percent.
Each of the voluminous propert}- crimes lecm-d.ed
an incrca.se, which comributed to the 7 percent
rise in tiris group of offenses rei.n-csonting SG j)crcent
of the Crime Index total. Individually, burglary
was up 9 percent, lareeii}- $50 and over in value
increased 7 percent, and auto theft was u[) 2 j)cr-
cent. Since 19C6, the violent crimes as a group have
increased 90 percent, property crimes S2 percent,
and the combined Crime Index S3 percent in
volume.
As in jjrior years, the suburban areas continued
to show an above average rise in the volume of
crime wiih an 11 ijerccnt increase over 1970. The
large core cities having populations in excess of
250,000 wore up 2 percent in volume and trie rural
areas registered a 6 percent upswing. The largest
American cities over one million [lopulation regis
tered an average increase of 3 percent. It should
be noted that while the suburban areas continue to
record sharp percentage upswings in the volume of
crime, a much higher level of crime occurs in tlie
large cities.
Crime increases were noted in each crime classifi
cation and each geograpliic region in 1971 nitli the
Northeastern and vVestern States eaci'i up y per
cent and the Southern and North Central States
each up 0 percent.
Estimated 1971 crime figimes for the United
States are set forth in the follo\ring table.
CRIME AND POPULATION
Crime rates relate the incidence of crime to
population. A crime race should be considered a
victim risk rate in that it demonstrates the risk of
becoming a victim of crime.
The Crime Index rate for the United States in
1971 was 2,907 per 100,000 inhabitants. This was
a G percent increase in th.e victimratc over 1970. The
national crime rate, or the risk of being a victim
of one of these crimes, has increa.sed 74 percent
since 19G6. Many factors influence the nature and
extent of crime in n particular community. A
number of these factors are shown on page vii of
this publication. A crime rate takes into considera
tion only the numerical factor of population and
does not incorimratc an\- of the other elements
which contribute to the amount of crime in a given
area. The statistical tables in this publication
disclose that the varying crime experiences.
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1
c:/\. T /
d : tiie ittitld ztat ẑs district court
FOR THE I'JESTEPIi DISTRICT OF TEM'ISSSEE
iraSTERII Dr/ISICM
MARTHA WILEY, ETC.,
Plaintiff,
VS.
MEMPHIS POLICE DEP.<IRT1’IEHT,
Defendant.
)
)) Cr/IL ACTION HO. C-73-8
)
)
The Discovery Deposition of JjUIES K. RICILIRDS,
III, taken on behalf of the Plaintiff, pursuant to cc.nsent,
on this, the 7th day of February, 1974, begiruiing at
approximately 4:30 o'clock p. m., in the offices of the City
Attorney, 125 North Main, Memphis, Tennessee.
This deposition is taken pursuant to the terns
and provisions of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
All forms and formalities are vraived. Including
the signature of the witness, and objections alo.ne as to
matters of incompetency, irrelevancy, and immateriality of the
testimony, are v;aived, to be presented and disposed of at or
before the hearing.
i. i
Lzx & <zr̂*LiLOciatzi.
COURT REPORTERS
SUITE 410, riRST AMERICAN RANK BLDG.
MEMPHIS, TE.NNES6EE 30103
455
TELEPHONE 330-1232 OR 920.1233
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J/CS3 K, RICH;\HDS , I I I .
the xvitnessj being first duly svrcrnj uas enar.'.ined and
testified as follows:
DIRECT s::A:-miATiON
BY MR. CALDlffiLL:
Q. Mr. Richardsj rcy name is Caldwell. We have kept 3’ou
longer than we intended and we apologize for that. We vrill
try to get through as quickly as possible.
Would you state your name, please?
A. James K. Richards, III.
Q. I'Tnat is your present position *.v’ith the Memphis Police
Depa,rzmsnt?
A. Patrolman.
Q. On January 8, 1972, you had the same position of
patrolman?
A. Yes, sir.
Q, Were you assigned at that time to the South Precinct?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. You were riding in a car on that night v;ith Patrolman
Cox, is that correct?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Was he driving the car or v;sre you driving the car?
A. He was driving.
Q. Do you recall getting a call to the South Eelle’/ua
178i
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Ma.rine Gcnpaẑ y?
A- Yes, sir.
Q. Would you take it frcn there and Just fill :ae in as
much detail as you can rememher v̂ hat happened after you
received the call to the South Bellevue Marine Ccmpan:,*?
A. The vdiole thing?
Q. Yes.
A. The call came out as a prov;ler inside call to the South |
Belle^rae Marine. It's at the corner of ScllevTue and Berguson.
Cox and I were north on Bellevue. I believe we were
rlaht along the expressway Just no’oth of Brocks a short
distajcce tnere. Another car got on the scene v/ith Calliners
and Rolescn in the car. They came back on and said they do
have prowlers inside.
Q. This v/as back on the radio? j
iA. Right, They said they had prowlers inside. Ckay. Well^
ithey said it took us, I guess, about 30 seconds to get there.
We pulled along to the front and I believe it v/as Mike or
Dave said, "There's three inside."
Q. This v;ould be Mike Calliham or Dave Role son?
A. Right. We pulled alongside -- pvilled down Ferguson
about even with the rear of the building. Jumped out and two
male blacks come out the back door right as we were getting
out standing right next to the fence. There's a fence all the
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1 A. Self-defense or if all knov;n v;ays to catoh a fleeins
felon failed or he cannot be apprehended,, to firs.
Q. I suess you were given the same instructions with
.regard to both the use of the shotgun and the pistol?
A. Right.
Q. Were you also instrvicted to use the pistol when
another citizen's life was in danger, for example?
A. Rigllt,
Q. So, either in self-defense or vhien another citizen's
life v;as in danger or a fleeing felon v.'hich you cannot It j
othein-’ise catch? |
I
A. Right. • . ■ III
Q. vrnat v:ere yo’a instructed with regard to misdemeanors j
comj.ritf2d either in your presence or people you were attempt- j
ing to arrest for misdemeanors who fled?
A. You are hanging yourself.
Q. I'm sorry?
A. You are hanging yourself if you do that. That's not
policy.
Q. Were you instructed — let's say, for example, on the
use of the shotgun. Were you instructed — well, my
general understanding about the pistol is that the instruc
tion is that if you are going to use the pistol you don't
try to v;ound or cripple. You shoot to kill v;hen you use the
O Q i u o
1 pistol?
2 A. The sajne as with ths shotgun.
3 Q. Ths sane as v;ith the shotg’on?
4 A. Right.
5 Q. So, if you are shooting at a fleeing felon with a
6 shotgun the same policy applies that you shoot to kill him?
7 A. Right.
8 Q. Is the only reason you have the shotgun on the night
9 of January 8th the fact that you vj-ere the shotgun can tlxa'C
10 night?I
11 A. Right.
12 Q. You weren't (driving, I take it?
13 A. No, sir. I just got the shotgun out.
14 Q, You didn't have the shotgun because of the distances
15 involved or anything like that? You just automatically as
a part of standard procedure took the shotgun with you v.'hon
1? you got out of the car?
12 A. Right.
19 Q. Does the shotgun have a shorter effective range than
20 the .38 speciauL?
21 A. Yes, sir.
22 Q. Are there situations then in v;hlch even if you had
23 the shotgTin you v;ould lay it aside and use the pistol?
24 A. I don't understand your question.
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1 A,
Q. If it a r;r33.tcr distance than that v:ould you use
your pistol rather than use your shotf̂ un?
fA. Probably.
Q. That is essentially v;hat I v:as tr?/lng to get at.
In your Criminal Lua course did you receive any kind
of instructions as a part of that covirse 7'hich had to do
with the use of f irearns?
A. Criminal Lav? on the felon, :fleeing felon.
Q. In other s, you learned soma of' the definitions
of felony" and mi c ci 3meaner in that course?
A. Right.
Q. Since you've been on the force -- and that uas in
1908 if I recall correctly other than the night of
January oth nave you discharged your firearm in circum
stances other than practice at the firing range or training
A. Yes, sir.
Q. What uas the first circumstance that ycu. recall
discha.rging either your pistol or your shotgun after you
came on the force?
A. It nas In I989.
Q. Tell me v;hat the circumstances uere at that time.
A. Heeing feloo. and burglc.ry.
Q. ;Jhere did this occur? I
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:-PSCiT : ■■,’e are to object f” * »»<
for the record. tha‘ ;an continue to ar.sucr as to
a.ll incidents that are not relevant to this specific
/
Incident. A continuing objection,
ME, CALDi-JELL: I uill acpuiesce in your continu
ing ob.jection to all instances other than the
Ja.nua.ry 8th incident.
MR. THCHPSO!!: I'm talhinr about as far as.
you hneu^ instances pertaining to uhat you are asl:ing
,t you to getI-ul. n "T T ' T . T T T TLfj . 1 - . 1 - j — ’J-i : I ju.st didn't
agree co the word irreleva.nt
IIR. T T ) c r \ 7 \ T Go ahead end
(3y the uitness) September llthj 1 9 ^9 i I believe
the correct date.
Was that at night or day?
That uas about 2:00 o'clock in the m.orning, at might.
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that ' s the c<
Q- Was th;
A. That u;
Q. 2 a. m
A. Right.
Q. Ifnere '
A. I beli
Hunter. It •
Q. Is tha
A. Yes. s
re you?
I believe the correct address v;as University and
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1 Q. 'Q-j North Mo:nphis I mean that part of North I'o'.tphis
south of the Wolf River?
A. Right.
Q. Tell me — Just briefly run through 7?hat happened
that night or that morning rather?
A. Well, I arrived on the scene of another call similar
to the one we are tallcing about. Prowlers inside^ two
male blacks inside. Police officers got around to the side
and saw them coma out the back of the building. i
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I t.alked to the policeman that had seen them and he j
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g-g_Yo me the description. Thê / started to xiring sack |
toward he ran. They '.v-ent down that v>'ay searcning icr hii:: .
and the next thing I Imnew — I vias still standing right |
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beside the store and the son of a gun Just doubled around |
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and started running back tov;ard where I was standi no. They we:''-,
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still shooting and bullets were Just whiszing right on |
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past me and cutting through the trees and everything.
Q. In other words, the officers that had run dov;n vrere
shooting back toward you at this point?
A. Yes. He came back toward me and he started running,
you knov;, back over toward University. I believe it was
University that is east - viest. I'm not sure. Yes,
University.
Q. Had you fired any shots up to this point?
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hollering halt the whole time. He ran between a couple oi” --
thera v;as about tv;o houses differencej about seventy-five
hundred feet and I ran out to the street and he come out
between the house. I kept on hollering halt. He just kept
on running. He started running back ea.st av;ay from ue and I
fired three times with my service revolver. He fell dead In
front of 1125 University. The third shot hit him right in
the back of the head.
Q. Did the first two shots hit him?
A. NOj sir. Ho was 51 yards away from me when he fell,
Q. How fai’ were you from where you had initially been
beside the building?
A. I v;ould say 5^ to 75 feet.
Q. V/as this a black adult male?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did he have a record that you knov; of?
A. Yes, a lengthy record,
Q. A lengthy record?
A, Yes, sir.
Q. Was he armed?
A. No, sir.
Q. There v;ere two of them, is that correct?
A. Yes.
A. sir. Everybody v;as hoilerins halt. They had been
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Q. There vrere two burg3.ars inside the building?
A. Yesj sir.
Q. Was the other one apprehended?
A. The other one we Just never knev/ vrhat happened to hin.
Just gone.
Q. i-̂ at kind of business establishment was it?
A. A Chinaman's grocery. I think it's T-u-n-g, Tung Wonr,i
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W-o-n-g. Tung Wong Grocery, I believe. ! ̂ tf
Q. As a result of that was your one bullet the only shot |
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that hit this guy? i
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A. Wo, sir. . A pellet from the shotgun that one of the i
IIother fellows fired str-Ack him in the leg, calf of his leg. ;
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Just a minor injury. |
Q. Was this before or after he started running? I neoxi
was this before or after you had hit him?
A. This v;as before I hit him because I was the only one
firing at him at the time.
Q., At that time?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Tell me v;hat kind of Investigation the Police Department
conducted with regard to that incident? What did you have tc
do and what kind of investigation did you have to subrait to?
A. A statement to homicide.
0. Did homicide come to the scene?
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Q. Was any disciplinary action taken against ycu in this
matter?
/
A. NOj sir.
Q. Has there been any other instance since that I969
incident in v/hich you discharged a firearm and hr. Thomosen
has a continuing objection to this?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Would you tell us what that is?
A. I shot a fellcv'/ back in July of 1973 •
Q. All right. This v/culd have been after the Fred Lee
Berry incident?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Between the September 11, 19^9 shooting at University
and Hunter and January 3, 1972, you had not discharged
either your shotgun or your pistol?
A. No.
Q. All right. April of ’73?
A. No j July.
Q. I'm sorry. July of '73. VJhat were the circumstances
of that?
A. My partner and I answered a disturbance call and we
got out on the scene. There was a male black had his left
hand full of butcher knives and paring loiives and such and
A. Right. That’s v;hat they did.
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had a long butcher knife in his right hand.
Q. 1‘There v;as this?
A. This was on Tulane^ 4739 Tulone, Apartment K’omber --
I just really don't remember the apartment number.
Q. I'Hiat kind of call have you received?
A. Just a disturbance call.
Q. Were you the first car to arrive at that scene?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. I-Hio was your partner at that time?
A. Patrolman G . J. Blum.
Q. Incidentally, v;ho was your partner in the 19o9
incident? Do you r•ecall?
A. There was so dadgum many of them. That's vmen we
were riding tactical units. iI
iQ. Ba.ck to the July incident. You arrived on the scene j
and there was a guy who had both hands full of knives or |i
something? !
A. Well, he had his left hand full of knives and he had
a big butcher knife in his right hand.
Q. Was he drunk?
A. Well, we don’t really know. His v;ife was on the
porch saying, ”He’s crazy. He’s acting crazy. Get him out.’
His statements — he made quite a few threats and
everything.
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1 We cpened the fô ’̂er door to the o.partnc-nt:i and sa'.r hir*
standing in there. He had all of his children lined up on
the couch threatening to cut their throats and quite a fê.v
obscenities. "You come on in here and I’ll cut your throat
you — " such and such, you know.
So, my partner and I v.-ere standing there. Idept begging
with him to drop the Itnife, drop the luiife. He O'-̂st chunked
the butcher knife and the butt of it hit my partner and threw
him back. He reached in his hand and started to lunge at
me and I fired one time.
Q. Cid you kill him?
A. Kc, sir.
Q. Did your partner fire any shots?
A. No, sir. He v;as sort of stunned, let's say that.
Q, VThere did your bullet hit him?
A. Oh, about two inches below the heart.
Q. Were any other units on the scene at that time?
A. No, sir.
Q. How far away was he away from you vmen you fired?
A. Well, sir, he was about, I would say, ten to tv̂ elve
feet.
Q.
A.
How large a man was this?
A pretty good sized fellow. He was about five, eight
to five, ten. Weighed 190 to 200 pounds.
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Gi- Hov; cld ',;as he approxiniately?
A. In his thirties. I don't remember his age. That trial
is still pending by the v:ay.
Q. The charges against' him?
A. Right.
Q. The trial is still pending?
A. He is under Indictment for assault to murder.
Q. Vlas he indicted for anything else? I talce it the
assault to murder was against you?
A. Right.
Q. Was he indicted for anything else that you ’ccnow of?
A. No. sir. That's it.
Q. The September 11, 19o9 incident would fall in the
category of shooting to prevent the escape of a fleeing
felon?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. And this July, 1973 incident would fall into the
cate
A.
gory of self-defense in your
Oh, yes, sir.
op inion?
Q. Have you discharged your fireana since Ĵuly?
A. No, sir. Tharlc goodness I haven't been called
Q. Either your pistol or your shotgun?
A. No. •
Q. Tulane, is that the Tulane Apartments?
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Q, thn,t crir-io a crl'~ie in nliich if ycu nere tryir~ t-:?
arrest the person for receiving stolen property and they
fledj that you uould use either the shotgun or the pistol?
MR. THOMPSOii; Me are going to object to that.
I think it's too broad. He has stated on uhat
occasions ho vrculd use deadly force and I thinlc it's
so broad that it poses such a hippothetical situation
that he couldn't nossibly ansuer it as responsive to
just that question. I thinlc you can be a little bit
acre specific about it.
M.R. CILDMILL: I don't see hou I can be more
specific.
MR. SHEA: Tah5.np a for instance: That I'rri
handing o’s ms.ybe I'm. partlcipatlnc in a burglary but
I am receiving a television set out the windos-;. Am I
receiving stolen property then?
MR. CALDMELL: I'm .not ashing about whether or
not he would use deadly force in this circumstance.
I'm asking him if that is a crime for v;hich he would
feel authorized to use dead.ly force in any circ’uia-
stances, you knovr̂ aside from self-defense or attempt
ing to harm som.ecne else, to stop the felon from
getting av.’ay.
Q. fBy Mr. Caldw-ell) In other v;ords, if you vrere
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1 attcrmptiriE to arrent scmecody for rocsivlr.f; stolen, property
and thoy ran and you f̂3lt like they were going to get c,v’o.ŷ
v/ould you use deadly force or vrauld you feel authorised
under Police Department policy and giaide lines in uhich
you've been instructed to use deadly force?
THE WITNESS: What do you think, Mr. Thompson?
MR. THOMPSON: Go ahead and answer.
A. (By the witness) I'd have to ta>:e that personally.
No, I wouldn't. I can't say vha.t any other Joker would do.
Q. V/hy is that?
A. To me as long as you've got the property, that's tiie
major thing, if the decision is left up to the officer.
Q. But you wouldn't — do you consider that crime a
felony?
A. It's a definite felony. I v;culdn't go along with
tliat.
Q. But if he got av;ay he v/ould Just get av/ay and you
I'̂ ould catch him some other way?
A. Right.
Q. What is the difference in your mind between a person
who is fleeing from an attempted arrest for receiving
stolen property as compared to a person who is fleeing from
an attempted arrest for the charge of burglary?
A. It's a whole lot greater to me. Offense is offense.
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1 So ’.s'hat? It's aothing. You can 3et hici sooner or later
anyr/ay. A person that's coxsiitted a burglary, if you can't
catch him any other v/ay, then you have to. You have got to
stop him. I might add this --
THE I'nTITSSS: Should I go into the previous
experience I've had with South Belle’nie Marine?
(lihereupon. Hr. Thompson and the witness had a
discussion off the record.)
Q. (By Mr. Caldv;ell) Are you going to tell me about
your experience?
A. Yes. I've been down there two other times âyself in
the past talking to Don Hoffman in taking burglar̂ '’ reports.
I've been down there before and I've taken two other theft
reports from him v/here people come up through the rear and
cut the fence and go up and sneak motors off. Tliat man has
lost quite a bit. He really has. That's just tvro tLmes me
personally and I didn't even run that v;ard,
Q. Was that prior to January 8th?
A. Oh, yes.
Q. You had been on two burglary calls down there before?
A. Right, just myself and I had heard about previous
others.
Q.
A.
The other two xvere after the fact sort of things?
Right.
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Q-
A.
Q.
A.
Q. That's your own personal exercise of discretion? You
haven't been given any instructions in that regard?
A- Wellj you are suppose to., .Any t5T5e of fleeing felon.
Your feeling is that you wou"' i?
Not novf.
I'm sorry?
Hot now.
MR. THOMPSON: He said not now. He V7culdn't
do that now.
MR. ALLISC!'i; He vrould not shoot a fleeing
embezzler now. .
MR. THOMPSON: That's right. |
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(By Mr, Caldv;ell) Mould you consider that a violation!?
It would be a violation of departmental rules. I
would probably get canned for it.
Q. Would you have done it prior to this lawsuit?
A. Man, you are really hitting on a subject that is
really something else.
MR. THC14PS0N; Let me make this observation.
We want to object to the form of the question and
make this observation in the objection. I think if
you would ask him what the rules and regulations or
general policies or his orders are as pertaining to
d o n ' t b e l i e v e I w o u ld .
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Q.
A.
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1
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR Tins irESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
VrSSTERN Dr/ISION
MARTHA WILEY, ETC., )
/Plaintiff, )
\
VS. ) Cr/IL ACTION i:N ro. C-73-S
IIEMPHIS ;POLICE DEPARTI-IENT, )
)Defendant. )
The Discovery Deposition of S. G, COX, taken
on "behalf of the Plaintiff, pursuant to consent, on this,
the 7th day of February, 197^^ beginning at approximately
11:30 o’clock a. m,, in the offices of the City Attorney,
125 North 1-Iain, Menphis, Tennessee.
This deposition is taken pursuant to the terns
and provisions of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
All forms and formalities are waived, including
the signature of the v̂ itness, and objections alone as to
matters of incompetency, irrelevancy, and immateriality of
the testimony, are waived, to be presented and disposed of
at or before the hearing.
1̂/1/zlj
COURT REPORTER*
SUITE 410. FIROT AME.RfCAN BANK BLDG.
MEMPHIS. TENNCBSEE 38103
TELEPHONE QE8.1232 OR 320.1233 i \J ̂
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5, G.. COX,
the witnssG^ heing first duly sworn, was examined and
testified as follows;
DIRECT EXiUillTATIOIT
BY im , ALLISCII;
Q. I-ir. Cox, lay name is Jiia Allison end I an the attorney
for the plaintiff in this cane, L!artha "'.’iley. I will tale
your deposition about an incident tliat occurred on January 3,!
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1 9 7 2 involving a burglary at 2533 Elvis Presley Boulevard |
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’Which I believe is called South Mesnhis Marine. |
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Any questions that I ask you that you don’t understand |
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or I don’t moJce clear, you Just ask me to make ir< clear and
III will try to. j!
Would you state your name, please?
A. Sergeant B, G. Cox.
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Q. 'VJhere do you live, Mr.- Cox? |
THE T<7IT1BESS; >Jhat does he ’want to know that for?
VIhat difference does it make?
MR. SHEA: Just go ahead and ans’wer the quest ion <
It can’t be anything detrimental to us.
A. (By the witness) ^190 Arrot-jwood.
Q. That's here in Menroliis?
A. Yes.
Q. '5-Jhat does the B. G. stand for?
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A. Billy Gsne.
Q. How old are you?
A. Thirty-one.
Q. Wiere were you boi'n?
A. St ant onville j Tenne s s e e.
Q. You attended Adanisville High School in Adarsville,
Tennessee?
A. Yes,
Q. Graduated in 1950?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you grov; up in Adamsville?
Just outside of Adarasville,
Fiien did you come to Memphis?
'60, I guess. Waea I got marriedj *6l. I don*t
remember exactly,
Q. What Jobs did you hold before you Joined the police
force?
A. I’ve had several. I don’t loicrw.
Q. Think back now and tell ms vrhat they v/ere.
A. I v/orked for Memphis Stone and Gravel once, I -worked
for a private contractor once,
Q. Anj'-body else?
A. I worked for a paridng lot company,
Q. ■j'JIien did you apply to Join the police force?
Q.
A.
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Q. You came to Meirphis here in i960 and vroricad for these
people you Just told me about and then in I963 you applied
to Join the Metmihis Police Force, is that correct'?
A. *62 or ’6 3. It was approximately a year or tvro yea.rs
before I came on after I put in an application.
Q. Did you go -chrcugh the Police Academy here?
A. Right,
Q. Eow long did it last?
A. Fo'ar months — correction, Tiiree months,
Q. Did the Police Academy give 370U training in the use
of firearms?
A. They did,
Q. Did you have both training in the use. of firearms and
then actual time spent on the range firing firearms?
A, We did.
Q. How long was each one of those, if you remember?
A. We had a week on the range of training to fire. I
don’t remember how much time was spent in the classroom.
Q. I-Jhen you spent a week on the range what type of
firearms did you fire on this range?
A. .38 Special Smith and Wesson.
Q. Is that the standard police revolver used here in
Meirohis?
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A. '63 I ‘believe,
1 would have.
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Ifnat instnxctions did you receive about the use of
firearms in apprehending a person v;ho had couraitted a felcnv;
!IA. Said to shoot as a last resort to stop a fleeing felon
from escaping or in self-defense. |
1Q. yfnat about a person vino has cormitted a niisderaeanor? |
!A. Do not shoot, !
iQ. '̂■■rnat is your understanding of the difference betvreen ^
a Elisdemeanor and a felony? |
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KR, SHEA; I’m going to object to that. You |J
can go aiiead aixd onsvrer it. !
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This man . is not a lavryer. The Supreme Court on '
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msnj?' occasions has trouble distir^iishing about the I
different types of crimes and things of that nature. |}
14R, ALLISOH: 14aybe I can ask another question |
to lay a predicate that viculd be more acceptable to
you.
Q. (By Hr, Allison) During the time you v;ere in Police
Academy training viere you given any instructions in Criminal
Law?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. As part of that instruction viere you instructed as to
the various crimes that could be committed?
A. Yes, sir.
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to attempt to stop a fleeing felon?
A. I guess when Fred Bcrri’’ vras shot,
Q. Tliat was Jcuiuary of 1972> is that right?
A. I think so,
Q. You don't remember doing it siiice then?
A. IIo,
Q. Have you used the shotgun since that tine to attempt
to stop a fleeing felon?
A. Ho,
Q. Uhsn vras the last time that you did use a shotgun
bo attempt to stop a fleeing felon?
A. .1 don't think I ever have.
Q. Did you ever have occs.sion to discharge your pistol
to attempt to stop a fleeing felon before the tine of Fred
Berry?
A. Yes.
Q. VJhen was that? Just the best you remember?
A. I don't remember the date.
Q. Just make it as approximate as you can.
A. I couldn’t even tell you the year.
Q. All right, sir. Tell me the debails of it then.
A. I don't kncni if that v;as the last time before that
or not but it was one time. It was shooting at a stolen
car that was fleeing from us.
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1 /•> 'Tnsre v.'arj that?
A South Keuphis on. Wellinr;tcn or 'T'v.r rrr- --•
Q. !vsre yo'.i in your car Ehooting or on foot
A. In the squad car 'ch.asins them.
Q. has the squad car movinq?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you hit .anybody in the car?
A No.
Q, Bid you hit the car?
A!• Yes^ sir.
hho -US drivinq the car?
A .I don't remember. The squad car or --
Q- (Interposixis) No^ sir, the car you uere
A I don't remember his name.
Q. ;Zhite or black?
A. Male black.
Q. ?7ere you able to apprehend this male blu'
A. After he finally urecked vre approhended :
Q- I'Tou hcv; do you Isnou th:^ car v;as stolen?
A. The car earlier had took a report on it
ov.Tier. The ovnner had called and turned his ca
and it' vras verified.
r> Did you hs.ve the license?
>-;-o ■
A. The disryatcher Dut cut a hroadcast on it.
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1 car got *1 4“ ri <'1 ĈJ. Owl J_ 0 cl*- l i-e sto,rtod running.
2 Kov; far did you ho.ve to cho.se him before h.e eked?
3 :je chased him appromimat ely t'.ro to three mil rrw o •
4 Another car chased him before that .
5 'w- I.-as that at night or during the doytime?
6 Night.
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•V* Before tliat or after thet uhen uos another time that
8 you discharged your pi stol to apipreliend a fleeing f g1on?
9 J i • I don't remember *
10 Have there been other occasiens?
11 It mo,y iiave but I don't rem.embsr for -i: 11 o
12 Aj:e you telling me you just don't rcm.pv-n' 0 -
13 id* Jl don't ionou if there's been an̂ -mnore Ci i iO V/ *
14
Q. U c uldn't you rem.ember if you shot at Goniw boc y ̂ JU.3t
15 rerr.smber the incident ■i -f- c p T
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JX» I don't knov; if I T'70Uld or not.
So the host you can do is that there could have heen
other occasions hut you just don't reneinber them.
A. That's v.-hat I stated a minute ago.
Q. VJhen you shot at this stolen car that eventual3.y
vrreckcd driven hy a male hlacl:, did you arrive on the scene
right after the accident? ?Jere you right behind him
A. YeSj sir.
Q. Was the driver injured in the accident?
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A. I don't thinic so,
Q. Were you participating in the arrest of this driver?
A. Yes, sir,
Q. Was he armed?
A. I don't thinh he vras.
Q. Was there anyoody else in the car besides the driver?
A. ITo, by himself,
Q. ITovr, how old was he if you remember?
A. I wouJLd say approximately twenty or in his early
twenties.
»
Q. Co you remember ever discharging your pistol to att-''mp-
to stop a fleeing felon v;hc turned out to be a Juvenile?
A.
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Q.
No.
You don't thlnh you ever have?
Oh, vrait a minute, I have.
Tell ms about that.
VJhen Fred Berrj’’ was shot.
I mean other than Fred Berry.
I don't thinh so.
N ov7, the niglat that Fred Berry v;as shot you vrere driv
ing what numbered car?
A. I don't remember.
Q. If I suggest to you Charlie l4, v/ould that be right?
A. Yes, sir.
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Q. I'n'iat were sene cf the advantages or disadvanta.-zes cf
A.
A.
Q.
A. Right.
Q. Were you taught to shoot to kill against people who weri
fleeing if that was the only way to stop then?
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the shotgun?
A. It*s got a wider shot pattern. You have a better chance
' I
of hitting what you are shooting at for close range. |I
Q. I'Jhat vrould be the distance tiiat the shotgun would be |
I
better at? i]
A. I thinle about 30 or 4o yards. 50 yards maybe. i
I
Q. Those shotguns have open barrels? They don’t have anj” |
ild.nd of choke’ on thenj do they? ji
A. Wo. !
II
Q. ’■■Jliere is the safety located on the shotgun? i
On the trigger guard. j
The type of safety you mash vrith your thumb in and cut?
î
Right. I
I
Did you receive any training either at the Police |
Academy or after that that vihen you are using a firea-ra you. j
are supposed to shoot to kill or shoot to vround or shoot to ;
cripple? !
Ii
A. We were taught to shoot to kill if you have to shoot.
Q. Fnen you pulled the trigger on that gun you shoot to
kill?
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1 A. They told us euiytine you di-av; your ;veo.pon to slicot l i
to shoot to hill. I
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Q'
rarJc?
VJers you in service?
/
No.
Uhat is your ranlc novr in the Police Bepartnient'/
Sergeant.
Hhen you graduated iron the Police Acaden;'/ ■',;hat v.’as y c,x.-7
A. Patr clinan«
Q- Is -ohere any rank hetwesn Patrolnan and Sergeant?
A. No.
Con you see .in this picture in the upper left iianc
corner enough to nahe an wnere you end your partner vrere
standing when you fired those shots? !,
A. I tliihh it was somsvihere right in here. (indicating).
Right in the middle of the pictvire by the fence?
It should be somewhere right about here I guess.
By the fence?
MR. SHEA: You are saying somewhere. You are not
sure^ are you. Sergeant?
THE WITNESS: No. It‘s in this area. I couldn’t
tell you exactly vrhere it was.
(By Mr. Allison) VJherc Fred Lee Berry and this other
boy came down in vhe ditch v/as approsiimaoely I50 feet in ■̂ ron'̂
ISOJ
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1
IN THE UITITED STATES DISTRICT CCTJP.T
FOR THE IHiSTERIT DISTRICT OF TEIHrESSES
TiffiSTERI'f Dr/ISICN
FxARTHA NILEY, ETC., )\
Plaintiff, )
VS. )
)MEilPHIS POLICE depart:SNT, )
CIVIL ACTION NO. C-73-3
)Defendant, )
The rdscoverj’- Deposition of R. D. ROLE SCR, tcl'.on
on behalf of the Plaintiff, pursuant to consent, on this,
tho 7th day of Februo,ry, 197̂ 4, beginning at approxlmtely
3:00 o'clock p. lu., in the offices of the City Attorney,
125 North liain, Meiriphis, Tennessee,
This deposition is taken pursuant to the terms
and provisions of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
All forms and formalities are waived, including
the signature of the witness, end objections alone as to
matters of incorapetency, irrelevancy, and immateriality of
the testimony, are v/aived, to be presented and disposed of
at or before the hearing.
COURT REPORTERS
SUITZ 410. FIRST AMIRICAN BANK BLC/G.
MEMPHIS. TENNESSEE 3S10S
1 o n. •
TCLE.’*HONS S26-IS3a OR 82S.123S
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1 R. D. RCL5SCX»
the witnessj beiTxg first duly sworn,, v;as axarained and
testified as follox̂ s:
DIRECT EXAi-miATION
BY MR, ALLISCII:
V7ould you state your name,, please, sir?
R. D. Eoleson.
VJhere do you live, Mr. Roleson?
1033 C-aiT.
Gar3'-?
Right.
Hovj- long h-ave you lived ir-i Meorphio?
Oh, I g’aess about I5 or I6 years, ever since I wa
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
0.
A.
the tiaird grade. I was born here in Memphis.
Q.
A.
Q.
A-
Q.
?v O uSl
Did you attexid high school here in Memphis?
Yes, sir.
IThere did you go to high school?
Kingsbury.
Before you .joined the police force did you work anyj'fherc
here in Meciphis?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. vvhere did you ’work?
i IA. I v.’orked at RCA.
Q. Did you work any place else?
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A. Holiday Inns.
Q. l-rnat did you do for RCA and Holiday Inns?
A. At Holiday Lnns I was Assistant ImiuSeper. At RCA I
loaded freight.
Q. Are those the only two Jobs you held after getting cut
of high school before joining the police force?
A. I v;as in the Marins Reserve.
Q. Here you ever on active duty in the Marine Corps?
A. Siw months, eighteen days.
Q. You vrent to boot CE.rrp where?
A. Paris Island.
Q. i'lnd then v;here vrere you stationed?
A. Jackscnvillo, Florida.
Q. VThat type of unit were you in in the Marine Corps?
A. Aviation.
Q. V/lien were '̂•ou accepted to start the Police Academy and
join the police force?
A. In January of *70.
Q. Did I ask you how old you were?
A. No.
Q.' How old are you?
A. !3A';en. y-seven.
Q. Ifnen you v;ent through the Police Academy what type of
instructions did they give you generally?
1 Q ■'
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Q.
A.
Q-
A.
A.
A.
Q,
important. That's all ri^ht,
T'7h,at did yon hear Richards yell?
A. He v;as yellins, ‘'Ha.lt,"
Did you hear Cox yellins?
I can’t remember. All I could hear was J. K.’s voice.
IThat?
/ill I could hear uas Richards’ voice.
You heard him yellingj "Halt”?
Yes^ sir.
Heu many times? Did he yell it more thaci once?
‘T̂,;o or three times.
Hov.r do you icnou where he was w'hen he was yellins h.alt?
At that time did you luicrw where he was?
A. Ho^ sir.
Q. Did you eveatually as you continued on east, come upon
him?
A- Yes.
Q. Ifnere was he then?
A. He was standing at the fence over the drainage ditch.
Q. Had he already fired the shots or had shots already
been fired?
A. Y'es, sir.
Q. Nov; were you running?
A. Yes, sir.
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1
£X. y72>
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OP TENNESSEE
WESTERN DIVISION
MARTHA WILEY, ETC.,
Plaintiff,
VS.
ME.IPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT,
Defendant,
)
)
) CIVIL ACTION NO. C-73-8
)
)
)
}
The Discovery Deposition of MICHAEL JAMES
CALLIHAM taken on behalf of the Plaintiff, pursuant to
consent, on this, the 7'th day of February, . 1974,
beginning at approximately 10 :3 0 o'clock a. m., in the
offices of the City Attorney, 125 North Main, Men^jhis,
Tennessee,
This deposition is taken pursuant to the terms
and provisions of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
All forms and formalities are waived, including
the signature of the witness, and objections alone as to
matters of incon^jetency, irrelevancy, and Immateriality of
the testimony, are waived, to be presented and disposed of
at or before the hearing.
1813
COURT RKRORTCRS
•umr 410. rtNrr AMERICAN bank bldo.
MCMRHIB. TENNEBECE 3B103
TEURHONE 8E«.ta32 OR SE«.ia3B
C.
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1 MTCTATX JAMSS CALLIHAM,
the witness, being first duly sworn, was examined and ,
testified as follows:
DIRECT EXAMINATION
BY MR. CALDVJELL:
Q. Would you state your name, please?
A. Michael James Calllham.
Q. Is that C-a-l-l-i-h-a-n?
A. M as in Mary.
Q. What is your present position with the Memphis Police
Department?
A. I am a patrolman.
Q. Are you a native of Menphis?
A. No, sir. I was b o m in Fulton, Kentucky and attended
high school there.
Q. Did you attend Carr Elementary School and Pulton High
School in Pulton, Kentucky?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. You graduated in I96I from high school?
A. Yes, sir.
0, What did you do after you graduated from high school?
A. I came to Memphis State University.
Q. How long did you attend Memphis State?
A. I attended three years. 181, ■'OiKK,'}:.'* ** X..
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-26-
•vrtien the call came out.
Q. "Which is about how far?
A. About a mile I guess.
Q. Tell me what happened from that point on, from the
time you received the call.
A, Well, the came out. We put ourselves on the
call.
Q. What does that mean?
A- dispatcher came out -- he came out with prowlers
on the Inside of the boat shop at such and such address.
We said — I believe we were in Car l6. ”This is l6. Show
us on that call,” and I gave our location. We were the
first car to arrive and pulled up to the front.
My partner got out. He was riding and I was driving.
He got out and went to the right side toward theisar and I
went to the front.
Q. Who was your partner?
A. H. D. Roleson, Patrolman H. D. Roleson.
Q. You say he went to the right side and you went to
the rear?
A. Ho, sir. He went to the right side. There*s a
little — it loolcs llhe a separation between two buildings
there and he went toward that to go to the rear. I went
to the front. 181 j-
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Q. Were you driving or was he drivlns?
A. I was driving.
Q. So he had the shotgun?
A. I don*t Imow whether he got it out or not to tell
you the truth. So, I went to the front and saw that the
glass in the front door was knoched out. I looked in and
I could see three hlack males at the drink machine. I ran
back to the car and told the dispatcher that we had three
black males inside.
Q. Were they working on the drink machine trying to
break into Iti
A. Yes. So, I went back to the front and on my way
back to the front another car with Patrolmen Cox and
Richards was Just pulling off of Bellevue. I was running
back to the front door and I told them to go to the back.
Then I went to the front and hollered at the boys to come
on out. They looked up and saw me and took off every
direction.
Q. Inside the building?
A. Yes. I tried to follow them but they disappeared in
i
there and that's the last I saw of them except the one
who — a dog car was called. He went in and found him
hiding in the southeast co m e r of the building.
does that have two patrolmen in it?
ISlo
A dog car.
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IIT THE UHITSD STATES DISTE.IGT COURT
FOR THE '.ASTERN DISTRICT OP TEIHî SSEI
WESTERN Dr/ISIOW
MARTHA WILEYj et al^
Plaintiff^
V3 .
Cr\TLL AGTIOU
NO. c-73-8
I-IEMPHIS POLICE DEP.ARTMENTj )
Defendant. )
The discovery deposition or MAYOR WYETH CHAI'TDLER̂
taken on this, the l6th day of January, 1975. cn behalf of
the plaintiff, pursuant to notice, at the office of the
witness, 125 North Main, City Hall, Memphis, Teruiessee, and
pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
All forms and formalities are waived, and
objections alone as to matters of incompetency, irrelev-ncj
and immateriality of the testimony are reserved, to be
presented and disposed of at or before the hearing.
The signature of the witness is waived.
181V 000505
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IvIAYOR WYETH CHAWDLSH;,
having first been, duly sworn, was examined and testified as
follows:
DIRECT SXAMIHATIOH
BY CALDWELL:
Q, Mayor, we are not going to take up much of your
time. You are Wyeth Chandler, Mayor of Mem̂ phis, is that
correct;
A.
Q.
A-.
Q.
That*s correct.
How long have you been Mayor?
Since January the 1st, 1972.
So you were elected in November of ‘71j is that
correct?
A. That's correct.
Q. Prior to becoming Mayor, being elected to Mayor,
you' were a City Councilman, is that correct?
A. I was a City Councilman and a practicing attorney.
Q. How long had you been a member of the City Council?
A.' Pour years. ,
Q. Elected in ‘68 or took office in '68?
A. Right, took office in ' 6 8 ^ ■
Q. And your term as Mayor began on January the 1st,
is that correct?
A. That's correct.
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0.- Prior to becorning Mayorj had you, as a City
Councilman, had any influence or been active in any way in
connection with the policy of fire arms use that were
adopted or had been utilized by the Memphis Police Departmen
A. No.
Did the City Council ever get involved in any v;ay
in that?
A- I don't recall any time that they ever got
involved in it.
Q* After becoming Mayor did you in any way get
involved in it? .
A- I got involved about a month after.I was in office
and ax ter this occurred. I recall I brought out some
statement about the fire arms, you Icnow, that — I wish I
had that statement, I have been trying to locate it, but it
was certainly not before the date, as I understand, early
in January, certainly not within a month. It may have been
two months after I took office.
When, you said after this, you mean after this
event that led to this particular case?
A. Right.
^ didn't, understand about the statement, where did
it come from?
A* We had a situation, I have forgotten, seems like
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1 after about two sionths, as you recall^ we had a rr̂ iber of
such incidents.
Q. Three or four during a certain period of tine.
During a short period of time I think there were
four shootings^ three resulting in deaths and one just a
wounding, and as a result of that, arid because I was called
out to the meeting with the NAACP people and other leaders
in the city, seems like we formulated some kind of statemern
that made national headlines. I know they came in here
from Atlanta to tape it on CBS. I can't recall exactly what
the statement was about, it's been so., long ago, I would
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like to know what it was.
Q. It was a statement issued by you or by your
administration?
A. 3y me. Of course, I think at that time I was
Director,of, so to speak, of police, since we had no
director. Chief Price was Chief of Police. We had no
director because we had not appointed somebody to that
position.
Q, That position had been open since in the middle
of the previous administration, is that correct?
Well, not the middle, but I would say ohe last
three or four months, Holloman resigned seme time, seems
like in the fall of '71, and there was no need, of course,
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A. I was serving as that in January because we had
no other, and any office that was not filled would be icy
responsibility ’until it was filled. In essence, in January
of 1972 I was the director of the Police Department and
served as such until Hubbard came in.
Q. Do you recall when that is roughly?
Ttry WIIiTESS: krt^ do you remember when —
several months later?
IIP.. SHEA: We are taking his deposition at
A.
11:00.
(Continuing) Perhaps as late as June or July,
something like that.
MR. SHEA: I was thinking in the summer.
A. (c6ntinuing) It may have been as long as a year
It seems like, I can't remember, I wish I had gotten all
of this information.
Q. Anyway, you were —
A. . I was the Mayor.
Q. You were, in effect. Director of Police?
A. That's- right, in January of 1972.
Q. When you took office did you do anything to t.ry
to ascertain what Police Department policies were?
A. Well, frankly, not right away. I really left
that up to Chief Price primarily. I knev/, of course, I
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have been on the Council, I have ridden with police, I
have talked to police, I have been a lawyer here for l8
years. I knew generally what their policies were, and I
made no move to change one way or the other.
Q, All right. You were aware, for example, that the
policy that the department had had for a number of years was
that, with respect to what is properly called the fleeing
felons, I'm assuming they are alleged felons at that point,
fleeing felons. . .
A. That's right, fleeing felons, I knew that policy
and did nothing to change it. ■
Q. Describe the policy as you understand it?
A. Well, basically as I understand it, if you have a
fleeing felon and you ascertain that you can't stop him by
Just grabbing him, and, ,.you know. Just whatever method thac
you try to first get him any way you can without resulting
to any type of firearm activities, but if you can't and he
is going to escape, that you use whatever force is necessar^^
to apprehend him or to stop him. That is my, that is
basically, it was my belief then as my belief now.
Q. . That policy, as it was being implemented, and as
it is implemented, makes no distinction between persons
who might have been- ,1’veniles as cooosed to aculss'.''
A. Well, I would -chink that if they were known so be
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posed a threat to the police officer?
A. I think v/hether he’s armed^ I think any of then
pose a threat. Today's burglar that escapes is tonorrov/s
burglar that cuts somebody's throaty that is my thought.
Just because a guy goes into a house, if he's willing, if
he's a guy that would go into a house to burglarize it today
and tomorrow he goes into another house, because you let
him escape, well, you know I'm not going to apprehend him,
next month dô vn. the line he's in somebody's house and a
young lady walks in, the young lady of the house walks in
and he cuts her throat, I don't go for that no matter what
the situation is. I believe that felons, people that
burglarize, and armed robbers, and people of that nature
are such that you. have got to get them, you have got to
apprehend them because, even though they may not have done
X today, they are the type of people who will, eventually
commit murder or mayhem or hurt somebody badly unless they
are apprehended, I think that is basic common sense. I
think they ought to be caught the best way we can catch them,
if we can try to catch them by running them down or we knav
who they are, can reasonably be anticipated to get them,
that is one thing. If we know this is John Henry Smith
who is a cat burglar and we know he hangs around Bill's 3ai
all the time and he's so forth and'so on, that is one thing.
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1 But if in. the policeman’s judgement, he doesn't knew who enu^
guy isj he knows he's a felon and he's escaping and gives
him every chance to stop, but he sees tnat he is g,oi.ng uo
get a7:ay, then he can use whatever force is necessary to
bring him to bay as far as I'm- concerned.
Q. Which includes killing him?
If it is necessary, I mean, you've got to shoot
■ him to try and stop and if you kil^ nim ununtent^ona.i.1^,
well, thac is that.
Q. There is not any policy of shooting to wound?
A. Well, there can.'t be.
Q. Or cripple?
A. That is FBI, you know,that is stuff you -hear
about on television. When you shoot you shoot, and nobody
in our police department that I know of could, pick a
running person off and say I will get nim in the lei o .<nee.
You shoot and you try to stop them. You maybe try to shoot
low, you know, if that kills him, you know, that is what
happens.
Q, As I understood at one time when firearms
policies were, the subject of controversy, I don't recall
whether it was you or whether it was the chie^ or v/ho,
made the statement' that vrhen a poliio officer discharges
his firearm, he should be shooting to kxll, af it is a
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1 looiced into it̂ all I sncvr “hat as I checlced the lavr and
the law said^ you knov/j the fleeing felon situation is s~ii-
in being, unchanged by the legislature, and, therefore, the-
had not violated what I considered the state law to oe,
we'then did some things vrith a policy that made our policy
perhaps a little lighter than the state law. For example,
we had a situation that grew out of some-.deal where we had
a stolen car situation in which a child ran out of a srouen
car and I think the child ended up mentally off or something
I don't know what, gotten in a car with some other people
and they bailed out and left him holding the oag and ne ran
and so forth.
Q.
A.
Q.
time?'
And was shot.
And was shot.
This is about the same, along the same period o-
Along the same time, and the question there was,
was that a proper use where we had a stolen car which was
a felony, and under the law —
MR. SHEA: Excuse me, is there a lawsuit
pending on that partic^ular incident, is that one
of your other lawsuits?
’IR. CALD'.'/ZLL: Of course, I haven'" done
any discovery in the other lawsuit. That sounds
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lilce that is —
MR. SHEA: I would rather n.ot get into that.
I object to any question abouT: a situation that
might be involved in another lawsuit. ,
Q. (3y Mr. Caldwell) He was just using that as an
examplej a change in policy.
A. I'm not saying that they did wrong because we
defended the police in that matter^ but I'm saying that, you
know, you can have laws that are stringent and then you can
have a kind of be sure that you don't you don't have to
go to the end of the laws in all cases, even thougn you may
be legal, maybe you are doing raght, I think thao is v;hat
brought on, maybe the policy statement that was made in
some regard.
Q, Now, you indicated that this order, this car case
resulted in a change of policy or modification in policy.
not sure, I would like to see that thing, a'm
sure that I have got it around here.
At your convenience after the deposition ii you
could find it —
MR. SHEA: I will read it and if it looks
like something that, as you know, we have got a
r"'s~isd. conference on the 2—th, chae n you ''.'an-
to go into it at that' time before Judge wellford
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1 that is fine.
MR. CALDV7ELL: I'n net sure what your —
MR. SHEA: The policy that the Mayor is
talking about after January the 8th;, 1972j if
that has any relevancy at all we can discuss it
with the Judge and let him rule as to whether it
will be competent.
MR. CALD̂ CELL: You will object to furnishing
it?
MR. SHEA: Yes.
MR. CALDViELL: But you will try to locate it?
MR, SHEA: Oh, yes, there is no question
about it.
THE WITNESS: I'm sure we can lo-cate it
because it was printed and put inthe paper and
everything else, it was a big deal in uhe paper,
you can read it in the paper, it is printed rignu
there in the Commercial Appeal, front page, wasn'^
any big deal, let's use some, common sense, boys,
and even though you are within the law let's just
not go berserk. I remember this case, it seems
like this is the first of the cases, as I say.
;herc were four, and three of them/ I > ̂ r*
aualms about them frankly, this is one of them
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1 that I had no qualms about. I felt that our
2 people had acted within reason. I had got the
3 facts, I had the files brought into me and I
4 investigated them and this was within my understar
5 of the state policy and of the police policy in
6 this case, even though I had not promulgated or
7 started it, it was part of the’policy and followed
8 the state law, that they tried to apprehend the
9 man, that they warned him and then they shot him
XO because they couldn't apprehend or felt they
XX couldn't without using firearms, and I still feel
X2 that way about it, I feel that way about it today
13 and probably will always.
X4 Q. (By Mr. Caldwell) Is it a fair statement that
15 the police department historically has not had and does not
16 have the same confidence in the blach community or the same
17 respect in the blade community as it does in the whate
18 community? . . ̂ ■
19 A. Is. that the same —
20 Q. Whether valid or not?
21 A . That' s right.
22 Q. Or regardless of the validity of that perception?
?3 i 'T’-3 blach community, soê -rting renrra-Lly and an ?.
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24 broad sense, perceives che police deparcmenc as imvi^ ̂
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1 consistar.tly brutalizad then, almost their enemy instead c:
their friend. I thirJc vre have gone a..long ways to alleviaoe
that. As a natter of fact, we have about 250 black
preachers dox'm here the other day pledging to support the
police in every way .just the other night do’:*m. here. We
tried our best to alleviate that. I think we have.
Obviously it has got a long way to sinner down to the
bottom. There is a feeling in the black community tha~
we not, are not their enemy I think among the leadership.
We..get statements from Mascine Smith who meets with the
police department over a long period of time, and Rev.
Kyle who makes statements at these meetings, understanding
and we buy it, and then they go on television and they
say something else, but I still say to you that the black
community, the leadership of the black community has come
a long way to feel that the police are doing their best
to do their job and they are not antiblack. Obviously
about the recruitment programs, by having black captains,
people in the hierarchy that are black, the feeling is
somewhat char.ged. But, now, you are talking about in 1972,
what you say is absolutely true and I would say almost
across the board. -
black faces in ohe hierarchy in the Police Department?
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1 out and stashing it ne:it zo the tree —
2 MR. SKRA: w“nich included shotguns.
3 Q. (By Mr. Caldwell) Yeah_, I said which included a
4 couple of shotguns.
5 A. Yeah.
8 Q. You indicated that you thought things about
7 changing in terns of the perception of the black connunityj
8 this vrculd be the police department?
9 A. I think so.
10 Q. That was in part because of a lot of community
11 efforts?
12 A. A number of things,, community relations —
13 Q. Black employment and promotions?
14 A. Promotionsj the black semsice centers that have
15 been established have had some impact^ you got blacks being
16 coached by white policemen in football Teagues and boxing
17 leagues and there are just generally,, you know, just a
18 different treatment instea d of the,, "hey, boy, come, over
19 here.” You know^ it is, "sir, step over here a minute,
20 I want to talk to you.” Just, little things that have added
21 up and it gets around, but I don’t believe in my judgment
22 that that has nothing really to do wtLth what we are talking
about,. I chink that that ic true, and I lorn t think tkac
^ maybe a l6' year old will say, if we are talking about l6
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year olds maybe less inclined to run away from a policeman.
A felon who has got prison staring him in the face, whether
he's white or black, is going to run. The question is, does
he think that he's going to make it or not, I don't believe
this guy was sitting there thinking If I'm caught I'm going
to be brutalized, I don't believe that. I believe if I'm
caught, I'm going to jail, I think going to jail is a lot
worse than being beat up, for example.
Q. Sometimes for kids their parents finding ouo is
going to be worse?
A. Back in the old days that is true, but nowadays
the parents are in suing somebody. When they spank them az
school they have got to file a lawsuit. Obviously that is
not a deterent.- I think it is just a matter of whether you,
as a criminal, figure you are going to get away or not. If
a guy says' stop, I think anybody that, white or black,
knows that the next step is to shoot you, I think tha~ xs
the warning that they hear and they know that, and I think
they ought to stop and come back. Now, as I say, maybe I
would be afraid if I was a black youngster that I would be
beat up or something, I don't know, but that wouldn't be
going through my mind. What would be going .tnrough my mind
would be whezher I was going to be puz in jail ani _ go .
to try and get away, and I just say if you have goz a lelon,
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1 he may have been in the Marine place stealing guns today.
What was he going to do with those g'ans, you know_, you let
him get away^ tomorrow he's in another place stealing guns
and maybe the next week he's in the 7-H blowing somebody's
brains out. I'm just a strong man on feeling that a felon
is a felon and if you commit a burglary you will step up
gradually to something else. And if we let everybody go
that robs a 7-11 today and just says, well, we shouldn't
shoot him or try to apprehend him, we are endangering the
lives, in fact, I just read the other day this fellow Harris
was jumped behind the counter. I don't know the facts of
it, but I know the man that he was supposed to have
apprehended, two hours later shot somebody to death, that
is the way it goes. I think that'bhe policy is good, maybe
there ought to be char.ges in certain elements of it, if you
know this or know that or know that the guy is not armed
and he's 12 years old, common sense would dictate and you
would use every possible way to get him without shooting
him. If you don't know what those things are, what his
condition is or whether he's armed or what he's doing or
what his background is, I say use a firearm if you have to
to apprehend, whatever force is necessary, as a last resort
orearms
Q. Do you think the policy act
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A. That is the purpose. -Let me say thrs^ I thurh-ĉ
for example, we have had a policy around here from time to
time, perhaps it's given too much publicity and results in
too little effectiveness of the stahe-outs of where you put
people armed in the buildings.
Q. Still watches?
A. Still watches, I'm for that. The trouble is that
the oeople that 7~1I who maybe complain tne most aocut
being held up all the time, and ash you and beg you for mor
police protection^ O.K., we will put a stake-out, well, they
say don't do that, they are afraid, especially if they are
in a black neighborhood if a black comes in to rob them and
you hit him with a double ought buckshot and cat him in
half right there in the store, they are afraid that will
end their trade with the community because then they say
that you are in cahoots with the police, you set up old
Henry, who may be a robber, but he's one of us, and they
think in those terms. I, frankly, think,, yes, if you did
in the matter of deterent, you can't let' a felon Just roam
the streets, you have got to get him, you have got to put
him in Jail because, as I say to you, the house burglar
today who goes in there today, the ca.t burglar is not in
thore to fight anybody or rob anybody, bv-
confronted with the lady who returned early, the next thing
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you know he's cut her.throac. i think ci na's a lelon^
If he's willing to pull a gun to rob a ban!:, he's willing
someday to shoot somebody when he takes off and runs out
door and he's goi.ng to escape. And the policeman tharlcs
he's going to escape, he's got to bring him to bay, he will'
be back tomorrow perhaps doing the same thing to somebody
else. It is a Judgment, you have got the safety of the
citizens, get this man and apprehend him one way or another,
hopefully without firearms, or let this man continue to run.
Eventually he does kill somebody and Pney will, and tney
do. You hardly ever catch a murderer that is his first time
out on the street. Usually the guy that shoots somebody ac
the 7-11, this is not his first go around, but finally one
day somebody reached for the gun and he kills them, but ne's
already robbed two people and got away. I think if you need
firearms to apprehend on the first go around or third beiore
he gets to that point, then you use them, that applies to
all felons. As I say, I think the one thirig we did move intp.
this thing, you will see, is the car thief, that Just the
car thief alone not connected to anything else, but Just the
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car thief, you run him down, you geo in the car and he Ĵ 'amps
out of the car and runs, you can't connect him to burglaries
oi* robbsi’ies, he's nothing but a car thief, v/hich is a felo:
Just never strikes me like a burglar or robber,, a murderer.
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a rapiatj or st csoera, you .̂.o.i, a- a(-cj=-
... -• - r-'’- n-'̂-r rav^so^al ooi-nior.. u tlaariicategory wata me^ ocar c-- y— “
it is in that area that I found sone reason,to relax it,
that is because,, you hnov;, so nany .-cido jCy i-u^ _ -at._
see then put in the sane category with the burglar and
robber and rapist and murderer,- that type of guy, but thar
is Just my o ^ personal opiruLon. I thanh uhat ne s T
don't thirJL there has been anybody shot as a result of jus"
a mere car thief, you hnow. Just.that alone. I don't know
what the situatton woulci.be if he got up to a high speed
and was' running anuck, down the street and driving people
off the road 'and it. was a matter of shooting him or having
him. crash head-on into some innocent folks, that would maybe
, be a different story,'but Just-the car thief alone, pulL nim:
off to the.side, he runs, that has never really sent me into
feeling that maybe he's the same type of guy that maybe -
should be treated the same as the others, that didn't come
up with me, and I think legally it could have auj. d’urrr^
this early time. I think it, actually occurred I relaioed
that somewhat or expressed my opinion that it should ce
relaxed.
Q. The policy at that time, would have allowed, you to
s 'no o t err.b e r z 1 e r s
A man fleeing across a state zzne. think i’
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1 would allow, I don’t thiril that has been considered, I dori'c
2 think the embezzlers have ever been considered the felons
3 of the type that you bring down, you knov;, on the streets.
4 To be honest with you, you know, I don't thirl: — I thirl:
5 we are talking about crimes of potential violence or
6 danger to property or persons directly, bank robbers dov/n
7 to, you know, people running amuck. I agree it may be a
8 felony to steal a car that you don't own, but I never put
9 them in the same category because they haven't, there is
10 no danger to life or limb inthat. There is danger to life
11 or limb in burglary because of the element of the possibilit
12 we have had them all over, and you know, there is no
13 question about it, you know we have had many, many burglars
14 surprised, how many murders were a result of the burglars
15 being caught we don't know. We found a body in a house the
16 other night, we had a man 70 or 82 years old or something
17 apparently killed as a result of the burglary, whether the
18 guy went in there and hoped that he could do it while the
19 guy was asleep and get away and the guy roused up and he
20 clobbered him with a board, I don't know, but burguars are
21 potentially very dangerous persons, as are robbers and
22 rapists.
22 !| Q. You makiiig a. cc::ncc:icn —
24 MR. SHEA: Are we testifying, is this a
183 o 000524
7;
1 is not as detrisiental tn society as the burglarj scbber and
2 so forthj that is v;hat I'm saying.
3 Q. Yes. SOj from.your point of viewj as you supported
4 the policy^ the purpose^ it is the prevention of future
5 crimes that might be v/orse than third degree burglary?
6 A. Apprehension of any man who commits a felony
7 because that kind of man should be brought to the bar of
8 justice now and punished rather than allowing him to continu
9 on his merry way that something can happen which could be
10 much worse.
11 Q. Have you done anything, or has the police departmeni:
12 under your direction undertook any kind of studies to
13 ascertain, for example, the liklihood that a kid who
14 burglarizes a business establishment will mors likely end
15 up in more serious crimes as opposed to a kid who steals
IS a car, for example?
17 A- No, I haven't done any research on that. I just
18 feel that if a man who goes into a place not his own, that
19 is a home or a building, especially at night, it- isn't a
20 matter of really whether he goes up to any other crime
21 except if he's caught in that place at that time. As I aay,
22 anybody who pulls a gun in a robbery is a potential murderer
and ev'-nrually if he doss it enough will murder somebody in
^ my judgment. You don't need to have statistics on it, it
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jjI
Il̂r THE uHITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR IHE vrESTER̂ I DISTRICT OF TEIDTESSEE
WESTERN DIVISION
ivLARTHA WILEY j et al,
Plaintiffj
vs . )
)
MSvIFHIS POLICE DEPARLI-IENTj )
)Def er*dant. )
Cr/IL ACTIO]
NO. C-73-3
The discovery deposition of J. W. HU53ARD;,
tahen on this, the l6th day of January^ 1975j or. behalf of
the plaintiffpursuant to notice^ in the conference room
of the Director of the Memphis Poli.ce Department^ 120 Adar.is
Avenuej Memphis^ Tennessee,, and pursuant to the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure;..
All forms and formalities are waivedj ana
objections alone as to matters of incomp'etency,, irrelevancy
and immateriality of the testimony are reserved,, to be
presented and disposed of at or before the hearing.
The signature of the witness is v/aived.
24
183J Q Q 0 o 2 G
1 J. W. HU33AP.D,
2 having first been duly sworn^ v;as examined and testified as
3 follows:
4 DIRECT EICAIGRATICN
BY MR. ARROLD:
5
6 Q. Director Hubbard^ for the record^ state your name
7 and how long you have been in your current position, and
8 7/hat is it, please, sir?
9 A. It is J. W. Hubbard, Director of Police, City of
10 Memphis, since 1 December, '72.
11 Q. We specifically wish to talk to you concerning
12 the deadly force policy now in effect with the police
13 department, the most current policy that has been formulated.
14 Did you formulate that policy?
15 A. Wo, exclusively, no. The police policy has been
16 sort of evolutionary, I would say. I was briefed on our
17 policy when I firsx Joined the department. From my limited
18 experience with the police problem I felt that it had good
19 safeguards in it. It is a matter of whether or not it was
20 practiced more than the instructions themselves. Our legal
21 advisor, Mr. Krelstein, raised the question he felt that thei
22 were some areas that weren't clear enough in it, and he
23 proposed a draft revision. We had some consultation and I
24 couldn't recite exactly what all it amounted to except it was
183j - 4 - 000527
1 Q. (3y Mr. Arr.cl-i) I v/lll be happy to ory and start
2 over. Director Hubbard, you have got poLico connunity
3 relations centers?
4 A. Yes.
5 Q. ■ Are most of these intended to be located in black
6 communities?
7 A. These are situated, and this was done before I
8 arrived, and I found nothing to quarrel wioh in ohe way of
9 their location, but they are situated according to the
10 area of apparent need. Now, the need that was perceived
11 when the so-called store front police service center system
12 was adopted here, was in emulating what had been done
13 elsewhere and was found to have some amount of success in
14 ■ trying to soften the image of the police, in the neighborhoc
15 where policing had to be the hardest because that is where
IS most of the vandaJ-ism is,-because "that is where most of the
17 felons seem to reside and where a great number of the
13 felonies occurred, and, therefore, the police were not
19 welcome. And the intent there was, it is hoped, that by «
20 seeing the police as humans, see that they have interests
21 beyond Just enforcing this law or that ordinance or whatever
22 finding out that they do have a heart, and that they do want
23 to helc the . neigb.borhood understand th.e department a;id
24 the department's needs, that this might keep some indeterm;
as
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If the absence of the threat of deadly force^ given the
same community of crime prone incividuals^ v;ould just take
one mors restrainment off of their actxvityj so in that
sense I would say that the threat of deadly force^ the
knov/ledgs in this city that under certain specific
circumstances officers will draw their weapon and fire it,
I feel has to be regarded as some kind of detersnt to seriou
crime.
Q. If the deadly force policy of this department
were a self defense policy alone, that Includes defense of
others, in self defense or in defense of another person,
what do you think would be the effect of that in terms of
crime in Memphis.
MR. SHEA: I'm going to object. Really, I
think we are moralizing or dealing, getting
certainly far afield from discovery. The general
has stated his reasons for the firearms policy.
I think,' r just think that we are just trying
to elaborate too much.
Q. (3y Mr. Arnold) The general has a very strong
feeling on this, on that particular question. did not
adopt such a policy. You know, I can rephrase it and say
vj hy d i dn 0 y c u adopt
some more, some less restrictive —
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MR. SI-ELA.: I thinic that >;culd be ncre in
keeping witii discovery,
Q,. (By Mr. Arnold) Wny did you not adopt a policy
of self defense or defense of others of deadly force on the
part of an officer?
A. Because you would thereby offer the full option ■
of escape, too, and I feel that that v/ould give unwarranted
advantage to serious — to the coirmission of serious crines.
Q. Serious being the ones that you have elaborated —
A. Serious —
Q. (Continuing) In the deadly force policy?
A. That's right, the ones primarily where you have
a victim. ’ ’ • '
Q. Did the deadly force policy include burglary,
could include burglary, I believe it does include burglary
of a business. Tha-t doesn't seem to fall in that category
to me?
A. It certainly does.
Q. Woxild you elaborate on that.
A. Sure, be glad to. You arrive at a burglary scene,
you know that a burglary has occurred or it has been
reported or it is suspected, whatever, the police arrive at
that soe-'.c, you see someone fleeing the scene, you ask teem
to stop and they.don't comply. Now, right here^ if for
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1 that instant we could freeze everyone^ have thatj just stay
Tp̂ ght where we are^ we are not goang to ijouch are
not going to do anything^ just freeze while we go in and
inspect the premises and once we are sure there is no
victim, that your only crime has been against property, then
we will say, 0,K., continue rurning and we will try to get
you some other way, but you can’t get that freeze to taxe
dace, you have no idea what is in tha~ scene. Now, if we
had a situation where you apprehended them inside the
premises, you had them basically in custody and you satasfiec.
yourself that it was only against property and not against
any person,, and then in the process of their trying to, they
caught an ungarded moment and took off, I would say that the
use .of deadly force might be questionable there for a burgla:|-
but you have first ascertained to your ov/n satisiaction that
this is all that it was, nothing more.
Q. In that specific example that you gave, your
policy does or does not allow deadly force to apprehend the
person?
Our officers can, would be peizaltted to use deadly
force if that burglar took off and they had'no other way
to capture them. I'm trying to — I'm trying to think of
an exanple. lazically under the policy they would be free, •
if they chose to,, to fire and technically they would be
1852 -32- 000540
1 correct with, rescect to our policy,, but Z thiuk j. see ~r.e
2 point of the question, the seriousness of the offense ana
3 the primary thing to defend is against crimes against people
4 Property crimes are serious, but when you have a victxm you
5 are more intent on getting the person responsible and
6 bringing them to justice. So a burglary scene, you have no
7 idea whether you have a victim inside or not, whether it is
8 a business or a hom.e, whether xt is day or nxgnx.
g Q. Would you describe briefly the bulrexs .used oy the
10 officers now in the police department?
11 A. I think you would have to have our ordinance
12 people come in and they could tell you how many grains and
13 how many characteristics —
14 Q. All right. If I can be less specific than I might
15 need from those people at this time, there are basically
IS hollow point bullets, are they not?
17 A. Yes.
18 Q. Which have more stopping power than a solid nose
19 or brass shield or something, I have forgot some of the
20 terms, they have more stopping power and that is why they
21 are used, is that right?
22 A. They are used, the selection of both the caliber
23 of v/eacon and zlie type of weapon and o'i'.o ammunition has o:
I
24 do with two things; the first is the ability to use the
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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE Î ÊSTE?D̂ DISTRICT OF TE:D1ESSE;
WESTERIT Dr/ISION
MARTHA NILEY, et al̂
Plaintiff,
vs.
Êl-IPHIS POLICE DEPARE^ENT,
Defendant.
Cr/IL ACTION
NO. C-73-3
The discovery deposition of BILL PRICE, taken
on this, the l6th day of January, 1975j on behalf of the
plaintiff, pursuant to notice, in the conference room of
the Director of the Memphis Police Department, 12S Adams
Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, and pursuant to the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure.
All forms and formalities are waived, and
objections alone as to matters of incompetency, irrelevancy
and immateriality of the testimony are reserved, to be
presented and disposed of at or before the hearing.
The signature of the witness is waived.
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-c—"T n-orr''?
having first been, duly sworn̂ was examined and testified as
follows:
DIHECT SXAil'IIMTION
3Y MR. CALDlfELL;
Q. For the record^ would you state your full name
and your former occupation is Chief of Police of Memphis?
A. 3ill Pricej I'm retired Chief of Police of the
Memphis Police Department.
Q. What date did you retire?
A. July the Istj 197^.
Q. And as I understand it you were appointed by
Mayor Chandler effective the first of January^ 1972, is that
correct, as Chief of Police?
A. That's correct.
Q. And prior to that time you were an officer of the
Memphis Police Department, is that correct?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. ■ Could you briefly tell me how long you have been
with the Department and the various ranks that, you held?
A. I came on the department Auĝ ast the 22nd, 19^Ij
and I moved up to lieutenant in 1950* I ’'̂ .̂s made a
;t.?.ln in 1 9 ol, in,spectcr in 'c^, assistant chisf in 1.̂-
chief in '72, a total of a little over 33 years.
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were you primarily responsible for it?
A. Part of itj yes, sir.
Q. Well, that is —
MR. SI-ISA: '72.
Q. (By Mr. Caldwell) It is that one right there, and
I think it was adopted in February of '72, but that wouldn't
have been long after you became chief, right after you were
in charge you indicated that you did work on part of that.
If you want to take a second to review that.
A. Yes, I did part of it.
Q. Well, for example, we know from the other documents
and information that has been gathered in the case that some
cities have policies which limited the use of deadly force
to self defense situations or situations in which the life
of another citizen, or the health and safety of another
citizen is in jeopardy, and prohibit the use of deadly force
for the sole purpose of stopping an escape, and obviously
you rejected that narrow policy?
A. That's correct.
Q. Why did you reject it for Memphis, for example?
A. 'Well, you put a gun on a man, you train him, you
train him, you train him, you figure he knows when to shoot
and ’when not to shoot, ana ix you see a man
house and he's a burglar and you know he has no right, if ycu
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1 C—n't outriin tni-s n3.n or fores n m oo step sons v/s.j y yoLi
don't know if he's killed sonebody in that house or not^ and
I think in my judgment the best thing to do is try oo seop
this man.
Q. O.K., But that is a situation —
A. As a last resort, if there is no,other way.
Q. O.K. And that is even if you don't know, if i~
is obvious that the man is not armed or at least he's not
wielding a weapon?
A. . It is hard to tell, of course, you can't see-, you
can't tell if he's armed or not running down a dark alley
or not.
Q. There is a close situation under any policy and
you are'• going to have those borderline situations where
somebody's judgment has to be exerdised and you can't really
say it is unreasonable. There are also clear cut situations
a guy coming at you with a gun pointed at you and that is
a, clearly, a self defense situation.- ■ ■
A. That's correct.
Q. And other situations where it is equally clear tha
the guy is not armed, you know that he's not, or they are
kids or whatever, you know, they are just all kind of varying
sicuatiov:, out your policy io-esn't attempt, or the policy
that is adopted doesn't really attempt to deal with that.
1857 -17- 000545
1 when they are ti'ying to shoot you or threatening h a m to
2 someone else?
3 A. He's a grown man, he knows he's done wrong or
4 attempting to do wrong, I think there is a difference there.
5 1 think there is a difference, and I think that the public's
6 idea of why they have the policemen on the . street 'is to
7 stop this sort of thing, stop a man from committing a felony.
8 X don't say kill him, but it is hard to hit where you are
9 aiming, you have been rmuiing or he's been ruming, I don't
' 10 think there is a man in the world, or to my knowledge, on
11 this police department, that wants to kill another human
12 being. I went 33 years and never fired my gun in the line
13 of duty, and could have killed a dozen legally. . I never
14 fired my gun.
15 Q, But you also have officers, do you not, who appear
IS to be more trigger happy than others? There are differences
17 in human beings?
18 A. Yes, sir.
.19 Q. And do have those problems. During your time as
20 an officer in the department, do you know of anybody who was
21 disciplined or called down, or did you ever do it yourself,
22 somebody who you knov/ who had a pattern of either being
23 trigger happy or
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24 A. No, I don't :recall any officers while I was chief
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Ill TEE UI'TITEE STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR TEE I'nSTERIT DISTRICT C? TEIII'IESSSI
l-TESTEluT DI'/ISION
MARTEA WILEYj et al.
Plaintiff:,
vs. )
)
Y E 2 -1 P F IS P O L I C E D S P A R T ^ -S R T j )
)
)
C r/ IL ACTION
NO. c-73-3
Defendant.
The discovez’y deposition of oiL/nii C-. RAY^ oal-cen
on thisj the l6th day of lanuary^ 1975, on behalf of the
olaintiffj pursuant to notice, in the conference room of
the Director of the Memphis Police Department, 128 Adams
A.venue,. Memphis, Tennessee, and pursuant to the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure,.
All forms and formalities are waived, and
objections alone as to matters of incompetency, irrelevancy
and immateriality of the testimony are reser^/ed, to be
presented and disposed of at or oeiore tne hearing.
The signature of the v^itness is waxved.
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•T2V« O’ • RAY")
having first been iuiy sworn, was exainined and tes‘
follows:
DIRECT EXAMINATION
BY ,MR. CALDWELL:
Q. Would you state and spell your name for the
record?
̂d. 3.S
A. O.X. It is Jewell, J-e-w-e-l-l> D. Ray, RP-9.-V .
you are presently an inspector wnth cne iaeiUwn—
police Department, is that correct?
A. Right.
Q, And on January — well, how long have you been
with the Memphis Police Department?
A. , I'm going on my 20th — 19 years some months.
I would have to count on my fingers for the months.
Q, Are you a native Memphian?
A. Since six years old.
Q, That's as close as you can get I guess.
A. I was born in Moscow 39 miles out here.
Q. A Memphis suburb?
A. Right.
Q.
Q-
Did you start out as a patrolman?
Started cut as a ratrolman.
And could you give me the daces of your increast^o
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F 6 br’-i3 .ry un'til sons 'cLms in -lĵ 'Oc .
Q. Did they investigate these kind of things at that:
time, or did they in ô’anuary of '72? I noticed a copy of
those two letters went to Internal Security and Homccide?
jY. No, Homocide did the investigation. Internal
Affairs monitored. Internal Affairs up until recently
didn't have enough personnel to do that type of investigation,
plus the complaints investigation, m e ccmp^ainus .i-n-/as
is hea-'/y enough.
Chief Price said he made it 33 ysars without firing
his pistol, I don't guess you have been that lucky, have you
MR. DAILST: I don't know what relevance
that would have to this case. .1 object to it on
those grounds.
MR. CALDWELL:' Your objection is noted. You
can answer the question.
THE WITNESS: Can I? -
MR. DAILEY: Go ahead and answer it.
Ilhave fired my pistol, in nineteen and a half
years, twice, and in both times it was self defense. Cnee,
goodness gracious, in around 1957 3.i a ourglar wno pulled
a shotgun on.me and was pointing a shotgun at me, I fired
o "T bim and miss id ciim ai.d ne oiirC'.*/ dovci l*; i.“ ̂-
up his hands, and i was very chari-Ufui, ne cmer o:.w .vuj —
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1 1963 when I was a lieutenant we had a nan, a black man who
had shot two peoplej pistol whipped a bunch of others^ killecL
one and we had him trapped in a truck. As I approached the
truck he fired one shot at me and I fired six at hicij
striking him in the head and chesty and he lived^ thank
goodness. I have no desire to kill anyonej and this is the
only two times that I ever recall that I used my pistol in
the line of duty.
Q. I'm sure you have had a lot of experiences with
the department and there are situations where you could
have used it under the rules and regulations of which you
were operating? - ■ "
A. Yes,
Q. Fleeing felons^ for example^ I assiime some people
.1
have ran from you and escaped?
A. Very few.- I use to pride myself, before I got
this gut, on being able to run them down. It was kind of a
thing with me, when I run a ward, that I wouldn’t let him
outrun me, and I have had a few, yes, but most of them I
could, I know the secret.
Q. How to outrun them and how to head them off and
whatever?
That was your personal goal then to catch them or
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outrun then or catch then sene w . 7°̂ ̂diin'e resoro to you;
pistol to stop then?
Only in self defense. ?Tov;, let ne put it tnis 7/a,
to be oerfectly honest with you, at the tine I v/as a
patrolman, had I had one that I thought had committed a
violent crime and running from me and I didn't think that
I could have caught him, I may have shot him because I had
been trained, and the state law says I could do it, and I
would have felt that I could have done it.
Based on your experience in law enforcement, how
many of those kinds of people, a violent crime, you know,
I don't think there can be much quarrel with you on that,
but how many fleeing burglars, for example, trying to roo
a business establishment, or what have you, actually get awa-
permanently if you don't catch them at the scene, how many
of them actuallTT never get caught?
MR. DAILEY: I don't understand your question
14R. SHEA: Now, have you qualified him to see
whether or not,- you are saying based on your
experience as a police officer, whicn was as a
ward car officer, a lieutenant, you are asking him
if he has any expertise in the field of criminal
-t-,a— i''̂ as 00 ''ov/ manv burm^ars, if ts.e.v" ai'e
not apprehended at the time, if they geo away, on=
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1 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
WESTERN DIVISION
MARTHA WILEY, ETC.,
Plaintiff,
versus
MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT
Defendant.
CIVIL ACTION
NO. C-73-8
The deposition of BEN D. HALE was taken on
this 28th day of January, 1975, upon notice, in the
law offices of Ratner, Sugarmon and Lucas, Suite 525,
Commerce Title Building, Memphis, Shelby County,
Tennessee, pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Pro
cedure .
All forms and formalities, including the
signature of the witness, are waived.
Objections and exceptions alone as to competen
cy, relevancy and materiality, are reserved, same to
be presented and disposed of at or before the hearing.
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BEN D. HALS
The said witness, being first duly sworn,
testified as follows, to-wit:
DIRECT EXAMINATION
BY MR. ARNOLD;
Q For the record, please state your name and
occupation?
A Ben D. Hale, Special Agent, Federal Bureau
of Investigation.
Q And how long have you been employed as Special
Agent?
A About thirteen and a half years.
\
Q You have been a Special Agent for that entire
time?
A That is correct.
Q And did you have other posts in the FBI prior
to that?
A No.
Q So that I might understand, we had subpoenaed
Mr. Gunderson, who is the Agent in charge; is that
correct?
A That's correct.
Q How do you relate to Mr. Gunderson in a chain
of command type of situation?
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A Well, he is my superior.
Q All right. Do you have other superiors here
in Memphis or not?
A Yes, I do.
Q Who are they?
A Well, the Assistant Agent in Charge is also
my superior.
Q And then you would come under him?
A We have field supervisors also who rank over
me.
Q Are they assigned to the Memphis Office?
A Yes.
Q
A
Do you supervise anyone yourself?
No.
Q How many special agents are there in the
Memphis office?
A Approximately thirty.
Q And approximately how many supervisory personn»̂ j.
of the type you previously mentioned?
A There would be four.
Q Have you ever had any responsibility in terms
of training Special Agents?
A Yes, I have.
Q What was that? , *: u-'. .V V-
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Q
A
Q
A As the Principal Firearms Instructor.
Is that —
For the Memphis Division, of the FBI.
All right. Is this training the other
thirty special agents or does that include a broader
area than that?
A Well, it would include any agents assigned
to receive training, and within the Memphis division
there would be more than, say, thirty agents in the
24emphis division, but only approximately thirty, thirty-
one or thirty-two assigned to headquarters.
My training responsibilities would encompass
all the agents in the Memphis division.
Q Yes, sir. Approximately how many special
agents would be in the Memphis division?
A Oh, approximately sixty.
Q Does that cover a Tennessee area or a radius
of Memphis?
A It covers primarily West Tennessee, Middle
and West Tennessee.
Q Is the training you are talking about ongoing
training or is this initial training?
A No. It's a continuous training.
Q In this■capacity are you familiar with the
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firearms policies of the FBI?
A Yes, I am.
Q Do you have any responsibilities for teaching
of those policies or reminding agents of those
policies?
A Yes. That would be brought up in the training.
Q In effect then, in the training period you
would do more than simply deal with marksmanship; is
that a fair statement?
A Yes. Training is rather all-encompassing.
There are many areas that we touch on in our training
not restricted to firearms. It may be other subject
matter.
Q What are those areas?
A Well, one would be defensive tactics, another
might be techniques and mechanics of arrests, crime
scene searches.
Q And you would be responsible for the training
in this area from time to time?
A Well, partially. There would be others in
volved in the training but I am one of them.
Q How often does this ongoing training take
place?
A Well, it depends on the type of training you
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1 are talking about. V7e have periodic training year
round. Certain phases of the training occur more often
than other phases do.
It depends on what you are talking about.
Q ;ihere is all the initial training conducted?
A At the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia.
Q Have you ever had any training responsibilities;
there?
A IIo.
Q Specifically, and I believe you have brought
with you a document or information bulletin entitled,
"Ninety-nine Facts About The FBI"?
A That's correct.
Q Could you identify for me from this bulletin
where a statement concerning the use of deadly force
is found?
A On page 16 of the pamphlet under Question
No, 58, the question states, "What is the policy of the
FBI concerning the use of firearms?" And the statement
of policy states that, "An FBI Agent is trained to use
firearms only in self-defense or to safeguard the lives
of other persons."
MR. ARNOLD: We would like to make
this booklet an exhibit to your deposition
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Q What cUaout some -- is the ten most wemted
list, is that a television program or is that an
actuality?
A That is an actuality.
MR. MCTIGHE: You see it in the
Post'Office, Mr. Arnold.
MR. AR2IOLD: Right. I have seen
some of the signs there, Mr. MCTighe,
of them.
BY MR. ARNOLD;
Q If you know someone is on the ten most wanted
list, can you shoot that person and kill them just to
catch them? Is that within the policy?
A You mean do we'have a wanted dead or alive
policy?
Q Yes.
A No. We havenVt gone back to those days yet.
Q So, even in that situation, there would have
to be the reasonable belief, that force would be used
against you or someone else to discharge your firearm
abainst those persons too?
A That's correct.
MR. ARNOLD: That is all I have, Mr.
Shea and Mr. McTighe.
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1 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
WESTERN DIVISION
MARTHA WILEY, )
Plaintiff, )
versus )
MEMPHIS POLICE DEPART14ENT, ST AL,}
Defendants. )
CIVIL ACTION
NO. C-73-8
The deposition of DON T, KRAG was taken on
this 31st day of March, 1975, by agreement of counsel,
at the residence of the witness, 1311 Ferguson Road,
Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, pursuant to the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, on behalf of the
defendants.
All forms and formalities, including the
signature of the witness, are waived.
Objections and exceptions alone as to
competency, relevancy and materiality are reserved,
same to be presented and disposed of at or before the
hearing.
187i
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DON T. KRAG
The said witness, being first duly sworn,
testified as follows, to-wit:
DIRECT EXAMINATION
3Y MR. SHEA:______
Q Please state your name?
A Don T. Krag.
Q Where do you live, Mr. Krag?
A 1311 Ferguson.
Q And how old are you, sir?
A I am 65 now.
Q What is your occupation?
A Public Contracting, own and operate the
Edgewood Mobile Homes. I am not in the plumbing business
at this time, though.
Q I see. All right. How long have you lived
at this address?
A All my life except for the time I was born and,
raised on the hill up there in this two story house.
I have been on this street all my life.
Q All right. And you were living here, of
course, on January 8, 1972?
A Yes, sir.
Q All right. Just tell us what took place aroun
8:00 on the evening as best as you can recall. ̂̂
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A Yes, sir. My wife and nyself just had dinner
and just finished eating, no noise in the house at all,
like T.V.'s or radios, and all of a sudden we heard,
■Halt, halt, halt", and by that time the guns blasted
a loose. It really kind of scared us at the time
because of the window there.
Q Did you go outside after that?
A Yes, sir.
Q Tell us what you found?
A I went outside and the Police had done come
from the front up here at the street and was trying to
get across a six-foot fence out there and I saw they
couldn't make it. So I told them, "Just a moment, I
will get you a key. I have got a gate back there. I
will unlock the gate." So they said, all right. And
I unlocked the gate and we went in and walked back —
they had flashlights — walked back some 20 or 30 feet
from where the gate is and they located one of these
men that got shot down in approximately the center of
the ditch.
Q All right. Now, when you were out at the
ditch — oh, when you first became aware of the shoot
ing, I believe you said that you went outside after
you heard the Police in the back?
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.on wa3 the one that got hit? n HOW big a person was
I could see laying down, I
. well, ^. n tall or thereabouts. I under would say he was 5 foot tall
stood later he was a teenager.
° ^ . that tine I didn't know whether
A ^ I understoodiust a kid burglar. Xa tr̂ QV/n inen or 3 he was a g..ovfii
, ov“r there.he broke in the nan s pla -
s i. a. nut it wasn t a uinyAll right.^ take a nan»s placesir. He could taxe Oh, no, no, 3-^*
any time. ' shooting
, K*. X£ YOU can recall tnAll ̂ .
was it from the tine you first heard
incident, how long was it fro
td -Bait- until the firing began? the word Halt
. fcVi« word "Halt , 3. When I heard the worn
It sounded so close and it v,nd of dunbfounded because it sou
ts later before I heard the fire wasn’t but noments later
the back door.loose. ht that tine X cone out
^ 3 ,t you did hear the polica.yell, j
halt"?
Yes, sir.
three distincts halts?There were three
. t of three, yea,I I would say it was every bit
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A
Q
A
sir. 187.
THE CHALLENGE
OF CRIME
IN A FREE SOCIETY
A REPORT BY THE PRESIDENT’S COMMISSION ON LAW ENFORCEMENT
AND ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
United States Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C.
» February 1957
187o 000584
m
FOREWORD
5^ July 23, 1965, recogn^g the urgenqr of the Nation’s crime problem and the
depth of Ignorance about it. President Johnson established this "Commission on Law
Enforcement and Administration of Justice, through Execudve Order 11236.
report ■“The Challenge of Crime in a Free Sodet/’—embodies
aU the major endings we have drawn from our examination of every facet of crime
and law enforcement in America. These are summarized in an opening section, and
our recommmdations are cataloged in a table foUowing chapter 13. In addidon,
we are finishing the work on a series of volumes reflecting the detailed and e-xtensive
res^ch and̂ analysis underlying this report. These volumes, each dealing with a
c^erent major segment of the field of crime and law enforcement, will be issued
shortly, as they are completed..
We have described, in appendix A, how the Commission went about its work.
But one aspert deserves p a r d o ^ note. Our work was, as indeed it should and had
to be, m the fullest sense, a joint undertaking.
received Ae unsdndng assistance of the Federal Bureau of Invesdgadon, the
U.S. B i ^ u of Prisons, the Department of Health, Educadon, and Welfare, and every
O th e r Federal agency w e called on. ^
We h;^ the invaluable assistance of many State, local,, and private agencies and
groups m this field.
We had at our service the special talent and knowledge of hundreds of expert
consultants and advisers who contributed to our work.
And, most important, the foundadon to our work came from a staff whose
ener^ and endurance exceeded only by its brilliance and imaginadon. Every
memW of this Commission joins me in expressing the warmest gradtude and admira-
Oon for J ^ e s Vorenb^, profeswr at the Harvard Law School, the Executive
D ire^r of the Commission, who directed this e.xtraordinary staff effort, and for each
of his colleagues.
tJL hlfiyXL
Nicholas deB. Katzenbach
Chttirman
000561)
187 V
T H E COIvIM ISSIO N
Nicholas deB. Katzenbach, Chairman
n
tfc
Genevieve Blatt »
Charles D. Breitel
Kingman Brewster
Garrett H. Byrne
Thomas J. Cahill
Otis Chandler
Leon JaworsH
Thomas C- Lynch
Ross L. Malone
James B. Parsons
Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
William P. Rogers
Robert G. Storey
Julia D. Stuart
Robert F. Wagner
Herbert Wechsler
Whimey M. Young, Jr.
Luther W. Youngdahl
T H E ST A FF
Deputy Director
Henry S. Ruth, Jr.
Associate Directors:
Gene S. Muehleisen
Elmer K. Nelson, Jr.
Lloyd E. Ohlin
Arthur Rosett
Assistant Directors:
David B. Burnham
Executive Director
James Vorenfaerg
Bruce J. Terris
Samuel G. Chapman {Police)
Howard Ohmart {Corrections)
Vincent O’Leary {Corrections)
Charles H. Rogovin {Organized Crime)
Director ot Science and Technology
Alfred Blumstein
William Caldwell
Weston R. Campbell, Jr.
Gerald M. Caplan
Roland Chilton
Joseph G. J. Connolly
Virginia N. Crawford
Elizabeth Bartholet DuBois
Paul B. Duruz
Robert L. Emrich
Floyd Feeney
Victor Giosda
Sheldon Kiantz
Anthony Lapham
John L. McCausland
Sheila Ann Mulvihill
Albert W. Overby, Jr.
Nick Pappas
John F. Quinn
Robert Rice
Gordon D. Rowe
Susan Freeman Schapiro
Gerald Stem
Keith Stubblefield
Thelma C. Stevens
Martin Timin
G. Joseph Vining
Richardson White, Jr.
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housing, and commercial developments, and as to the
effects on the community of urban renewal and the relo
cation of population—neighborhood conditions to which
municipal attention should be directed-
Tke Commission recommends:
The police should formally participate in community
planning in all citics.
THE POLICE IN THE COMMUNITY
Carrying out with proper efficiency and discretion ffie
complicated law enforcement and community-service
tasks the police are expected to perform is a formidable
assignment under the best of circumstances: When the
public sympathizes and cooperates wth the police.
Those circumstances do exist to a considerable extent in
most rural, smalltown and suburban commuiutia, and
in many big-city neighborhoods. The chief limitations
on police work in those places are the talents and skills
of policemen and police administrators, and the funds,
equipment, and fat^ties available to them. In city slums
and ghettos, the very neighborhoods that ne^ and want
gfj"ective policing the most, the situation is quite different.
There is much distrust of the police, especially among
boys and young men, among the people the police most
often with. It is common in those neighborhoods
for citizens to fail to report crimes or refuse to cooperate
in invesdgations. Often policemen are sneered at or in
sulted on the street. Sometimes they are violently as
saulted. Indeed, everyday police encounters in such
neighborhoods can set off riots, as many police depart
ments have learned.
This is the problem that is usually—and pohtely—
referred to as “police-community relations.” It is ovm-
whelmingly a problem of the relations between the police
and the minority-group community, between the ^ lice
and Negroes, Puerto Ricans, and Mexican-Amencans.
It is as senous as any problem the police have today.
Of course, to say that there is much distrust of the police
among members of minority groups is not to say that all
members of minority groups distrust the police, or to
imply that only members of minority groups distrust the
police. A survey of public attitudes toward the police
conducted, at the Commission’s request, by the National
Opinion Research Center shows, naturally enough, a
spectrum of opinion. However, the differences in atti
tude by race are striking. Twenty-three percent of all
white people thought that the police were domg an “ex
cellent” job of enforcing the law, while only 15 percent
of nonwhites held that view. At the opposite end oi the
scale, 7 percent of whites thought the police were doirig a
“poor” job, as contrasted with'16 percent of nonwhites.
Roughly the same kind of response was obtamed to a
question about how well the police protect citizens.
With the questions, “How good a job do the police ^
do on being respectful to people like yourself?” and “Do
you rtiinW the police aroimd your neighborhood are al
most all honest, mostly honest, with a few who are cor-
jT̂ pt, or ^ e they almost all corrupt? , the difference in
response by race was more than striking. It was startling.
Sixty-three percent of whites and 30 percent of nonwhites
thought the police were “almost all honest. One per
cent of whites and 10 percent of nonwhites thought the
police were “almost all corrupt”
It may be paradoxical that the same people who are
most victimized by crime are most hostile to the police,
but it is not remarkable. In view of the history of race
relations in America and of the ghetto conditions in
which most minority-group members live, doubt about
American ideals and resentment against authority are to
be expected among Negroes, Puerto Ricans, and Mexican-
Americans. No doubt the police are condemned by the
nature of their work to bear the brunt of such feelings. _
However, this is not the heart of the police-commumty
relations problem. Throughout the country minority-
group residents have grievances not just against society
as a whole, but specifically against the police. Commis
sion observers watched policemen work in minority-group
neighborhoods in a number of major cities, and the Com
mission has studied the findings of those who have made
observations in many other cities. These observations
indicate that any generalization about how “policemen”
National Opinion Research Center Poll •• AHirmative Answers
Do polico do "excalleflt” Job?
W hite_______________________ — 23%
Non-White. .15%
Do police do “poor" Job?
W hite_____ 7%
Non-W hite-----------------------16%
Are police "alm ost all honest” ?
White--------------------------------------
Non-White. .30-%
Are police “alm ost all com ip t”?
.63% W h ite -----1 %
Non-White_______ 10%
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treat “minority-group members,” or vice versa, is almost
sure to be misleading. For example, one Commission
study conducted in a few cities showed that most police
men treat minority-group citiaens in a nondiscriminatory
manner, and received at least as much cooperation and
courtesy from Negroes as from whites.
However, Commission studies also showed, and in this
finding responsible police officials concur, that too many
policemen do misunderstand and are indifferent to mi
nority-group aspirations, attitudes, and customs, and that
incidents involving physical or verbal mistreatment of
minority-group citizens do occur and do contribute to the
resentment against police that some minority-group njem-
bers feel.
COM M UNITY RELATIONS PROGRAMS
Citizen hostility toward the police is every bit as dis
ruptive of peace and order, of course, as police indiffer
ence to or mistreatment of citizens. It is so obvious as
almost to be a truism that ghetto residents will not obtain
the police protection they badly want and need until
policemen feel that their presence is welcome and that
their problems are understood. However, in the effort
to achieve this state of affairs, the duty of tnlfi-ng the
initiative clearly devolves on the police, both because they
are organized and disciplined and because they are pul>
lie servants sworn to protect every part of the community.
It is an urgent duty. Social tensions are growing and
crime rates are mounting. Police agencies cannot pre
serve the public peace and control crime unless the public
participates more fully than it now does in law enforce
ment Bad community feeling does more than create
tensions and engender actions against the police that in
turn may einbitter policemen and trigger irrational re
sponses from them. It stimulates crime.
The Commission believes that a police-community rela
tions program is one of the most important fimctions of
any police department in a community with a substan
tial minority population. It believes further that such
programs must be organized and administered in accord
ance with certain principles:
□ A community-relations program is not a public-
relations program to “sell the police image” to the people.
It IS not a set of expedients whose purpose is to tranquil-
ize for a time an angry neighborhood by, for example,
suddenly promoting a few Negro officen in the w ^e
of a racial disturbance. It is a long-range, full-scale effort
to acquaint the police and the community with
other’s problems and to stimulate action aimed at solv
ing those problems.
□ Community relations are not the e.xclusive business
of specialized units, but the business of an entire depart
ment from the chief down. Community relations are
not e.xclusively a matter of special programs, but a mat
ter that touches on ail aspects of police work. They must
play a part in the selection, training, deployment, and
promotion of personnel; in the execution of field proce
dures; in staff policymaking and planning; in the en-
■ forcement of departmental discipline; and in the han
dling of citizens’ complaunts.
□ The needs of good community relations and of ef
fective law enforcement will not necessarily be identical
at all times. For e.xample, restricting the way field inter
rogations are carried out could lead, in the short run, to
apprehending fewer criminals; imposing hareh penalties
on officers who verbally abuse minority-group citizens
could temporarily depress departmental morale. More
over, professionalization of the police has meant, to a
considerable extent. Improving efficiency by such methods
as decreasing the number of officers on foot patrol, re
ducing the number of precinct stations and insisting that
patrol officers spend more time on law enforcement duties
and less on maintaining relations with citizens on the
street- A result of this has been a lessening of the in
formal contacts between policemen and citizens. Con-
fficts of this sort arc not easy to resolve, but the attempt
must be made. While immediate law enforcement con
siderations may take precedence, it should be remem
bered that sound community relations are, in the long
run, essential to effective law em'orcement.
□ Improving community relations involves not only
imtituting programs and changing procedures and prac
tices, but re-examining fundamental attitudes. The po
lice will have to learn to listen patiently and understand-
mgly to people who are openly critical of them or hostile
to them, since those people are precisely the ones with
whom relations need to be improved. Quite evidently,
it is not easy for a man who was brought up to obey the
law and to respect law enforcement officers to maintain
his poise and equanimity when he is denounced, sneered
at, or threatened. However, policemen must do just that
if police-citizen relationships on the street are to become
person-to-person encounters rather than the black-versus-
white, oppressed-versus-oppressor confrontations they
too often are.
□ The police must adapt themselves to the rapid
changes in patterns of behavior that are taking place in
America. This is a time when traditional ideas and
institutions are being challenged with increasing insist
ence. The poor want an eqrml opportunity to earn a
share of .America’s wealth. Minority groups want a final
end put to the discrimination they have been subjected to
for centuries. Young people, the fastest growing seg
ment of the population, have more freedom than they
ever have had. The police must be willing and able to
deal imderstandingly and constructively with these often
unsettling, even threateffing, changes.
The Commission recommends:
Police departments in all large communities should have
community-relations machinery consisting of a head
quarters imit that plans and supervises the department’s
community-relations programs. It should also have
precinct units, responsible to the prednet commander,
that carry out the programs. Community relations must
be both a staff and a line function. Such machinery is a
1 8 8 0 0 0 0 5 6 8
104
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ministered. The administrative guidance supplements the
general legislative policy.
Another reason that law enforcement policies are sel
dom stated is that many of them would turn out to be, if
clearly set forth, highly controversial. For example, if the
police announced publicly that nondisorderly drunks
would be arrested only if they had no home to go to, they
might be accused of discriminatory treatment
Probably the most pervasive reason that the police do
not articulate policy formally is that they usually do not
realize that they make policy informally every day. The
police are not accustomed to thinking of themselves as
employees of an agency that much more often enforces
laws administratively than by invoking the formal criminal
process through arrest. Yet a decision by a policeman to
order a sidewalk gathering to “break it up,” or to take a
delinquent youth home rather than arrest him, or to “cool
off’ a drunk in a precinct lockup rather than formally
charge him, is an administrative decision. Not only
should policemen be guided by departmental policy in the
making of such delicate decisions, but the people who v̂ill
be affected by these decisions—the public—have a right to
be apprised in advance, rather than ex post facto, what
police policy is.
Thdi Commission recommends:
Police departments should develop and enunciate policies
that give police personnel specific guidance for the com
mon situations requiring exercise of police discretion.
Policies should cover such matters, among others, as the
issuance of orders to citizens regarding their movements
or activities, the handling of minor disputes, the safe
guarding of the rights of free speech and free assembly,
the selection and use of investigative methods, and the
decision whether or not to arrest in specific situations
involving specific crimes.
The issuance of orders to individuals regarding their
movements, activities, and whereabouts relates particu
larly to the common police practice of ordering many
street gatherings to "break it up” and “move on.” Con
siderations that might govern the issuance of such orders
are the time of day, the amount of disturbance the .gath
ering is causing, whether or not the members are intoxi
cated, whether or not they are unduly obstructing traffic,
and whether or not they are people known to the police
as offenders or troublemakers. *
Also involved are cultural considerations that are more
complex. Some people ordinarily conduct their social
lives on the street, particularly if they live in neighbor
hoods where the housing is dilapidated and overcrowded
and where there are few parks or other recreational fa
cilities. Breaking up such groups, rather than contribut
ing to public order, is likely to have the reverse effect.
Moreover, formulating and executing policy in this field
could make the police more conscious of neighborhood
problems and could, therefore, make the police more effec
tive servants of the corrununity.
Handling minor disputes is an activity that is regarded
as of small importance by most police administrators.
Yet it occupies a great deal of the time of many police
men. To the disputants themselves, who are more often
than not law-abiding citizeru, the manner in which the
police intervene in their affairs is a matter of great im
portance. Disputes, particularly domestic disputes, as
discussed earlier, are a subject about which it would be
difficult to formulate policy without first engaging in
considerable research. The police should seek to ac
cumulate information about families that cause repeated
disturbances, to discover whether certain kinds of disturb
ances are more likely than others to lead to serious assaults
or to homicides, to compile statistics on the typical effects
of having one of the parties swear out a complaint
against the other, to become familiar with the social-
service agencies, if any, to which troubled families can bt
referred. For the police to mediate, arbitrate or suppress
each dispute that they encounter as if it were unique—or
as if all disputes were alike—contributes little, in the long
run, either to law enforcement or to community service.
iy Chapter 3 has discussed at some length the intimate
street relationships betsveen policemen and juveniles. Be
cause juveniles frequent the streets so much, because they
are usually in groups, because they are sensitive to real or
imagined slights, and because the line between natural
and relatively harmless conduct and threatening or in
jurious behavior is often hard to draw, the police must
exercise great discretion in dealing vvith them. Clear
police policies about ways of handling various juvenile
situations would be of great help to policemen on the
street There is a trend toward articulating policy about
this part of police work. For example, the Chicago Po
lice Department has issued a particularly lucid set of
prescriptions for dealing with juveniles.
Safeguarding the rights of free speech and free assem
bly has become in recent years an increasingly important
police duty, and one that can, on occasion, divert large
numbers of police from patrol or. investigative duties.
During 1 month in Philadelphia, for example, there were
15 major demonstrations that needed police protection or
at least police presence. This figure does not include
dozens of street comer meetings and other minor form.*
of propagandizing or protest—each of which requirec.
the continuous attention of at least one policeman, svhile
it was underway. These demonstrations were either for
or against police brutality, a strike of California grape
pickers, the Pennsylvania divorce laws, rock and roll
music, slum landlords, draft classification e.xaminations,
black power, a movie about the Battle of the Bulge, a
“rape sentencing” bill, equal rights for homosexuals, low
wages at a convalescent home, more post office promo
tions for Negroes, and the war in Viemam.
Policing demonstrations is a particulafly sensitive job,
not only because of the occasional difficulty in distin
guishing behveen the legitimate exercise of constitutional
rights, and trespass or incitement to riot, but because
policemen have views of their own about the issues that
are being vociferously debated. IVhen spontaneous or
' i ' 188± 0005h'.')
r’ore, they would be greatly helped in their task of pre-
ing order and protecting constitutional rights if the
leaden of protesting or demonstrating groups discussed, in
advance with the police, the appropriate times and places
for demonstrations and methods of demonstrating. On
the other hand, strong law enforcement responses in a
true riot situation must occur rapidly, on the basis of
advance planning and operational coordination.
Advance planning is a necessity and must be conducted
jointly between the police and local. State, and Federal
governments. Too few departments have held the drills
and rehearsals that disclose in advance deficiencies in
plaiming, communications, coordination and chain of
command. Procedures for calling in the National Guard
and allocating command responsibility must be worked
out prior to riotous situations.
The tactics chosen at the beginning of disorder may well
be the crucial factor in controlling a riot. The kinds and
extent of police force employed, and equipment involved,
must be thought out well in advance, taught to personnel
through training and constantly reassessed. Procedures
for the acquisition and channeling of intelligence must be
established so that information is centralized and dis
seminated to those who need it.
Like any kind of crime, riots are best controlled by pre
vention. This of course involves maintaining proper
police conduct, but the most important element in pre-
ntion is a city government’s awareness of and response
.o the frustrations of the community.
FIRZARMS U SE POLICY
In most cities police officers receive too little guid
ance as to when firearms may be drawn and used. Re
cruit and inservice training should keep officers con
tinually alert to the legal and moral aspects of the use
of firearms.
The Commission recommends:
A comprehensive regulation should be formulated by
every chief administrator to reflect the basic policy that
f̂irearms may be used only when the officer believes his
life or the life of another is in imminent danger, or when
119
other reasonable means of apprehension have failed to
prevent the escape of a felony suspect whom the officer
believes presents a serious danger to others.
COORDINATION AIST) POOLING OF
POLICE SERVICES
The machinery of law enforcement in this country is
fragmented, complicated and frequently overlapping.
America is essentially a nation of small police forces, each
operating independently within the limits of its Jurisdic
tion. The boundaries that define and limit poEce opera
tions do not hinder the movement of criminals, of course.
They can and do take advantage of ancient poEtical and
geographic boundaries, which often give them sanctuary
from effective poEce activity.
Nevertheless, coordination of activity among poEce
agencies, even when the areas they work in are contiguous
or overlapping, tends to be sporadic and informal, to the
extent that it e.xists at all. This serious obstacle to law
enforcement is most apparent in the rapidly developing
urban areas of the country, where the vast majority of the
Nation’s population is located and where most crimes
occur. In 1960, almost 117 million people, about 70 per
cent of our population, resided in America’s 18,000 cities.
Of these, almost 113 milEon persons, 63 percent of our
population, resided in the 212 areas designated by the
Bureau of the Census as Standard Metropolitan Statis
tical .Ajreas. According to FBI reports, approximately 83
percent of the Part I crimes committed in the United
States in 1965 were committed in these SMS.' ’̂s. These
212 sprawling, metropoEtan areas comprise 313 counties
and 4,144 cities, each of which has its own police force.
The majority of these departments are small and have
only limited faciEties and services. Thus, the responsi-
bUity for dealing with most of the serious crime in this
country is diffused among a multitude of independent
agencies that have little contact with neighboring forces.
The Commission beEeves that the principal method of
improving enforcement outside of the large cities is the co
ordination or pooling of poEce services. Coordination
involves an agreement between two or more jurisdictions
to perform certain services jointly; usually one of the
jurisdictions vrill provide one or more services for the
others. Pooling occurs when local government jurisdic
tions consoEdate by merging one jurisdiction, or a func
tion thereof, with another jurisdiction, or function
thereof. Coordination is the more feasible form of law
enforcement cooperation because there are fewer poEtical
or legal obstacles to achieving it.
In studying how coordination or pooling might improve
the quality of law enforcement, the Commission was
guided by two assumptions. First, some pooling could
take place without jeopardizing the independence of local
government. Second, it is desirable to preserve as much
local governmental control as is consistent with increasing
the quality and quantity of police service. The Com
mission further beEeves that the cost of any program
if it -
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1 8 8 a 000570
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TASK FORCE REPORT:
Task Force on the Police
THE PRESIDENTS COMMISSION ON LAW ENFORCEMENT AND
ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
188ci 000571
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U.S. Governmer.t Printing Office, Washington : 1957.
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, D.C. 20402
Price: $2.85. domestic postpaid; $2.50, GPO Bookstore
Copies of the Commission’s general report, "Tne ChaUenge of Crime in a Free Society,” can be purchased from the Superintendent
of Documents for $2.25.
Copies cf other task force reports and other supporting raaterials can also be purchased. 0005 i'rl
188^
FOREWORD
In Febniary of this year the President’s Commission on Law Enforcernent and
Administration of Justice issued its General Report; The Challenge of Crime in a
Free Society. As noted in the Foreword to that Report, the Commission s work was a
joint undertaking, involving the collaboration of Federal, State, local, and private
agencies and groups, hundreds of expert consultants and advisers, and the Commis
sion’s own staff. Chapter 4 of that Report made findings and recommendations
relating to the problems facing the Nation’s police. . . . t .
This volume, the Task Force Report on the Police, embodies the research and
analysis of the staff and consultants to the Commission which underlie those findmgs
and recommendations, ^ d in many instances it elaborates on them. Preliminary
drafts of most of the materials in the volume have been distnbuted to the entire Com
mission and discussed generally at Commission meetings, although more d efied
discussions and intensive review have been the responsibility of a panel of five Com
mission members attached to this Task Force. While individual memben of the
panel have reservations on some points covered in this volume but not reflected m
■ the Commission’s General Report, this volume as a whole has the endorse
ment of the panel. The organization of the Commission and the Task Forces is
described in the General Report at pages 311—312. — . . i r.
Three chapters of this volume were prepared by Commission consultants mer
extensive consultation with Commission staff. Chapter 2, “Law En^rcement; The
PoUce Role,’’ was prepared by Profs. Frank Remington and Herman Goldstein of the
University of Wisconsin College of Law at Madison. Chapter 4 “Coordination and
Consolidation of Police Service,’’ was the work of the PubUc AcW^trauon Service
of Chicago, III, and Chapter 9, “The Community’s Role m Law Enforcement, was
written by Patricia M. Wald, former Commissioner of the President s Commission on
Crime in the District of Columbia. • • -u
Among the Research Studies to be published shortly by the Commission vnll
■ a number of field studies, conducted by consultants to the Commission, which will
have bearing on various aspects of police operations. , . , . a j
The Commission is deeply grateful for the talent and de^caUon of its amd
for the unstinting assistance and advice of consultants, advisers, and collaborating
agencies whose efforts are reflected in this volume.
Z / X ^ 3 .
N icholas deB. K atzenbach
Chairman
000573
I S S ?
T H E C O J/IM ISSIO N
Nicholas
Genevieve Blatt
Charles D. Breitei
Kingman Brewster
Garrett H. Byrne
Thomas J . Cahill*
Otis Chandler*
Leon Jaworski
Thomas G. Lynch
Ross L. Malone*
deB. Katzenbach, Chairman
James B. Parsons
Lewis F. PoweU, Jr.
William P. Rogers
Robert G. Storey
Julia D . Stuart
Robert F. Wagner*
Herbert Wechsler
Whitney M. Young, Jr. ̂
Luther W. Youngdahl
^Police Task Force panel memben.
T H E ST A FF
Executive Director
James Vorenberj
Deputy Director
Henry S. Ruth, Jr.
Associate Directors:
Gene S. MuchlciscnJ
Elmer K. Nelson, Jr.
Lloyd E. Ohlin
Arthur Rosett
Assistant Directors:
David B. Burnham
Bruce J. Terrist
Samuel G. Chapman {Polict)X
Howard Ohmart {Corrniions)
Vincent O’Leary {ConKtions)
Charles H. Rogovin {Orgmizid Crime)
Director of Science and Technology;
Alfred Blumstein
William Caldwell
Weston R. Campbell, Jr.
Gerald M. Caplan
Roland Chilton
Joseph G. J. Connolly
Virginia N. Crawford
Elizabeth Bartholet DuBois
Paul B. DuruzJ
Robert L. Emrich
Floyd Feeney
Victor Gioscia
Sheldon Krantaf
Anthony Lapham
John L. McCausland
Sheila Ann Mulvihill
Albert W. Overby, Jr.
Nick Pappas
John F. QuinnJ
Robert Rice
Gordon D. RoweJ
Susan Freeman Schapiro
Gerald Stem
Thelma C. Stevens
Keith Stubbleheld
Martin Timin
G. Joseph Vining
Richardson White, Jr.
♦Sta/r rnetnben devoting prinaary attention to the work of the Police.Task Force. 000574
IV
188d
C O N S U L T A N T S
Richard H. Blum, Professor, Stanford University, Stan
ford, Calif.
Allen P. Bristow, Associate Profe^r, Department of
Police Science and Administration, Califomia State
College at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.
William P. Brown, Professor, State University of New
York, Albany, N.Y.
James E. Carnahan, Associate Professor, Deparment of
Police Science and Administration, California State
College at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.
Edward V. Comber, Project Director, Crimiipl Jusdce
Information Systems Design Study, Califomia Depart
ment of Justice, Sacramento, Calif.
J. Shane Creamer, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Phila-
deIphia,'Pa.
William F. Danielson, Director of Personnel, City of
Berkeley, Calif.
Harry Diamond, Associate Profe^r, Departinent of
Police Science and Administradon, Califomia State
College at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.
George D. Eastman, Headquarters Representative, Pub
lic Administration Service, Chicago, 111.
John Fabbri, Chief of Police, South San Francisco, Calif.
Edward A. Farris, Professor of Police Science, New
Mexico State University, University Park, N. Me^
James L. Fyke, Field Representadve, Public Administra
don Service, Chicago, 111. , „
Raymond Galvin, Assistant Professor, School of PoUce
Administradon and Public Safety, Michigan State
Uiuversity, East Lansing, Mich.
A- C. Germann, Professor, Department of Criminology,
Califomia State College at Long Beach, Long Beach,
Calif.
Herman Goldstein, Professor, University of Wisconsm
Law School, Madison, Wis.
G. Douglas Gourley, Professor and Chairman, Depart
ment of Police Science and Administradon, Califomia
State College at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.
John Guidid, Captain, Oakland Police Department, Oak
land, CaliL , „ 1- e •
Richard O. Hankey, Professor, Department of Police 5a-
ence and Administradon, CalHomia State College at
Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.
William H. Hewitt, Assodate Professor and Chairman,
Department of Police Science, State University of New
York, F armingdale, N.Y.
Roy E. Hollady, Chief of Police, Fort Collins, Colo.
Norman C. Kassoff, Supervisor, Police Training Unit, In-
temadonal Associadon of Chiefs of Police, Washmgton,
D.C.
Joseph Kimble, Chief of Police, San Carlos, Calif.
Richard Laskin, Associate Professor, Department of Politi
cal and Sodal Sdence, Illinois Insdtute of Technology,
Chicago, 111.
B. Earl Lewis, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, Calif.
G. Stephen Lloyd, Field Representadve, Public Adminis
tradon Service, Chicago, 111.
Joseph D. Lohman, Dean, School of Criminology, Umver-
sity of Califomia, Berkeley, Calif.
Lawrence S. Margolis, Speaal Assistant U.S. Attorney for
the District of Columbia, Department of Jusdce.
Gordon E. Misner, Visiting Assodate Professor, School of
Criminology, University of California, Berkeley, C ^ .
Richard A. Myren, Dean, School of Criminal Jusdce,
State University of New York, Albany, N.Y.
David L. Norrgard, Field Representadve, Public Admin-
btradon Service, Chicago, 111.
George W. O’Connor, Director, Professional Standards
Divbion, Intemadonal Assodadon of Chiefs of Police,
Washington, D.C. .
Bmce T. Olson, PoHce Adminbtradon Spec^st, Insti
tute for Community Development and Services, Michi
gan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
J. Kinney O’Rourke, Execudve Director, Massachusetts
League of Cides and Towns, Boston, Mass.
Margaret G. Oslund, Department of Polidcal and Sodal
Sdence, Illinob Insdtute of Technology, Chicago, IlL
Wesley A. Pomeroy, Undenheriff, San Mateo County
Sheriff’s Police Department, San Mateo, Calif.
Norman E. Pomrenke, Assbtant Director, Insdtute of
Government, University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hm,N.C. . ,
Loub Radelet, Professor, School of Police Administration
and Public Safety, Michigan State University, East
Lansing, Mich.
Leonard E. Rebman, President, John Jay College of
Criminal Jusdce, The City University of New York,
New York, N.Y.
Gerald Robin, Office of Nadonal Analysts, Philadelphia,
Pa.
Jewell L. Ross, Captain (retired), Berkeley Police Depart
ment, Berkeley, Calif. _ _ _ .
James D. Sdncfacomb, Supervisor, Police Educadon Unit,
Intemadonal Assodadon of Chiefs of Police, Washing
ton, D.C.
Patricia M. Wald, Commissioner, President’s Commis
sion on Crime in the District of Columbia.
John B. Williams, Assodate Professor, Department of
Police Sdence and Adminbtradon, Califomia State
College at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.
188 V ooGovri
VI
A D V IS E R S
. Claude Abercrombie, Jr., Sheriff, Douglas County, Doug-
lasville, Ga.
Charles R. Adrian, Professor and Chairman, Department
of Political Science, University of California, River
side, Calif.
Douglas W. Ayres, City Manager, Salem, Oreg.
David A. Booth, Associate Professor, Department of Po
litical Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky.
C. Beverly Brily, Mayor, Nashville, Tenn.
Thomas Brownfield, Special Agent Supervisor, FBI, De
partment of Justice.
Robert L. Carter, General Counsel, National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People, New York,
N.Y.
Joseph Casper, Assistant Director, FBI, Department of
Justice.
Grorge E. Causey, Deputy Chief, Metropolitan Police
Department, Washin^on, D.C.
Ben Clark, Sheriff, Riverside County, Calif.
Donald E. Clark, Sheriff, Multnoniah County,-Portland,
Oreg.
James Cotter, Inspector in Charge, FBI National Acad
emy, FBI, Department of Justice.
John Creer, County Commissioner, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Thompson S. Cro^ett, Professor of Police Science, St.
Petersburg Junior College, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Louis R. Damiani, Chairman, Legislative Committee,
National Office of the Fraternal Order of Police, Phil
adelphia, Pa.
Jerome Daunt, Chief, Uniform Crime Reporting Section,
FBI, Department of Justice.
C. D. deLoach, Assistant to the Director, FBI, Depart
ment of Justice.
Leonard J. Duhl, Special Assistant to the Secretary of
the Department of. Housing and Urban Development,
Washington, D.C.
Woodrow W. Dumas, Mayor, East Baton Rouge, La.
Edward L. Epting, Sergeant, San Francisco Police Depart
ment, San Francisco, Calif.
Paul E. Estaver, Dissemination Officer, Office of Law
Enforcement Assistance, Department of Justice.
Rev. Walter L. Fauntroy, Director, Washington Bureau
Office, Southern Chnstian Leadership Conference,
Washington, D.C.
Thomas F. Fitzpatrick, Director, Bureau of Special Serv
ices and Intelligence, San Francisco Police Department,
San Francisco, Calif.
Arthur Q. Furm, General Counsel, National Urban
League, Inc., New York, N.Y.
Charles R_ Gain, Deputy Chief, Oakland Police Depart
ment, Oakland, C^if.
Robert R. J. GaLlati, Director, New York State Intelli
gence and Identification System, Albany, N.Y.
Rernarrl, Garmire, Chief of Police, Tucson, Ariz.
Peter F. Hagen, Inspector, Los Angeles Police Depart
ment, Los Angeles, Calif.
William Harpole, Sheriff, Oktibbeha County, Starkvillc,
Miss.
Patrick Healy, Executive Director, National League of
Cities, Washington, D.C.
William W. Hermann, Police Consultant, Rand Corp.,
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif.
James C. Herron, Captain, Philadelphia Police Depart
ment, Philadelphia, Pa.
Roderic C. Hill, Lieutenant General, Adjutant General,
California National Guard, Sacramento, Calif.
William Hollowell, Sheriff, Sunflower County, Indianola,
Miss.
John E. IngersoU, Chief of Police, Charlotte, N.C.
Adolph C. Jacobsmeyer, Major, St. Louis Police Depart
ment, St. Louis, Mo.
John J. Jemilo, Deputy Assistant Director, Office of Law
Enforcement Assistance, Department of Justice.
Herbert T. Jenkins, Chief of Police, Atlanta, Ga.
Mark E. Keane, City Manager, Tucson, Ariz.
John T. Kelly, Deputy Chief of Police, Chicago, 111:
Hubert O. Kemp, Chief of Police, Nashville-Davidson
County, Tenn.
Harold Light, Assistant Special Agent in Charge at
Quantico, Va., FBI, Washington, D.C.
Floyd Mann, Former Superintendent, Alabama Highway
Patrol, Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, Langdale,
Ala.
Daniel H. Margolis, Attorney, Washington, D.C.
Robert E. McCann, Director of Training, Chicago Police
Department, Chicago, IlL
William P. McCarthy, Inspector, New York Police De
partment, New York, N.Y.
Roy McLaren, Director, Field Operations Division, In
ternational Association of Chiefs of Police, Washington,
D.C.
Karl A. Menninger, MJD., Chief of Staff, The Men-
ninger Formdation, Topeka, Kans.
Raymond M. Momboisse, Deputy Attorney General,
California Department of Justice, Sacramento, Calif.
1883 000 r"' >o r o
WilHam Mooney, Special Agent Supervisor, FBI, De
partment of Justice.
Patrick V. Murphy, Assistant Director, OfBce of Law
Enforcement Assistance, Department of Justice.
John F. Nichols, District Inspector, Detroit Police De
partment, Detroit, Mich.
Joseph D. Nicol, Superintendent, Illinois Burpu of
Criminal Identification and Investigation, Joliet, 111.
Harvard Norred, Chief of Police, Gwinnept County,
Lawrenceville, Ga.
Peter J. Pitchess, Sheriff, Los Angeles County, Los
Angeles, Calif.
George H. Puddy, Executive Officer, California Police
Officers’ Standards and Training Commission, Sacra
mento, Calif.
Thomas Reddin, Chief, Los Angeles Police Department,
Los Angeles, Calif.
Rudy Sanfillippo, Task Force Director, Joint Commission
on Correctional Manpower and Training, Washington,
D.C.
Lloyd G. Sealy, Assistant Chief Inspector, New York
Police Department, New York, N.Y.
Carleton F. Sharpe, City Manager, Kansas. City, Mo.
Daniel J. Sharpe, Inspector, Rochester Police Depart
ment, Rochester, N.Y.
Robert Sheehan, Professor, Department of Law Enforce
ment Administration, Northeastern University, Boston,
Mass.
r
R. Dean Smith, Director, Research and Development
Division, International Associadon of Chiefs of Police,
Washington, D.C.
Charles L. Southward, Brigadier General, Assistant Chief
for Army Nadonal Guard, U.S. National Guard Bu
reau, Washington, D.C.
Daniel Stringer, Sheriff, Cherokee County, Canton, Ga.
Quinn Tamm, Executive Director, International Asso
ciation of Chiefs of Police, Washington, D.C.
Carl C. Turner, Major General, Provcat Marshal Gen
eral, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C.
WUliam Veeder, City Manager, Charlotte, N.C.
Nelson A. Watson, Project Director, R es^ch and De
velopment Division, International Association of Chiefs
of Police, Washington, D.C.
Leon H. Weaver, Professor, School of Police Administra
tion and Public Safety, Michigan State University, East
Lansing, Mich.
James Q. Wilson, Associate Professor of Government, Di
rector, Joint Center for Urban Studies of Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and Harvard University,
Cambridge, Mass.
Minor Keith Wilson, Assistant Chief of Police, Chicago
Police Department, Chicago, 111.
O. W. Wilson, Superintendent, Chicago Police Depart
ment, Chicago, 111.
Orrell A. York, Executive Director, Municipal Police
Training Council, Albany, N.Y.
S U P P O R T IN G STA FF A N D SE R V IC E S
Secretarial and Clerical
James A. Adkins
Doris J. Bacon
Margaret Beale
Mary G. Bergbom
Margaret R. Bickford
Nancy B. Bradley
Rita Louise Brooke
Conchita A- Brown
Scennie M. Brown
Suzanne L. Carpenter
Barbara A. Casassa
Sally M. Chopko
WilHe Copel^d
Catherine Cyrus
Mary Frances Factory
Doris T. Farmer
Ann Felegy
Mary Fox
Carol A. Hambleton
Rosalind M. Humphries
•Nancy Hunt
Betty C. Irby
Barbara J. Jones
Patricia A. Lanham
Joan E. Peterson
Evelene Richards
Lee E. Salerno
Shelia M. Sheahan
Nancy Strebe
Margaret Triplett
S U P P O R T IN G SE R V IC E S
INDEX
Edv/ard T. Johnson & Associates, Washington, D.C.
1883
COPY EDITING
Katherine M. Hanna
James O’Bryan
189
interrogations each had made.” * In one of those cities
a ranking officer stated:
Our fint line supervijors [Sergeants] have a responsibility to
keep statistics on each officer’s production—not an average, but
his production—to find out whether a particular officer's per-
fomiance is consistent with what his [sjquad’s average might
be. .\i a result, if a particular man is low, we e.spect an
explanation.
Police work is far too complicated and delicate a job to
judge an officer’s work or qualifications for promotion on
the number of arrests he has made. Furthermore, arrest
quotas, if they exist as either explicit requirements or
implied expectations, can lead to Improper activity by
policemen. Patrolling officers have the complex and diffi
cult responsibility of exercising their discretion based on
the circumstances of the particular case. No part of this
calculation should consist of the number of arrests the
officer has made in comparison to a preestablbhed quota
or'expectation set by the department.
U SE OF FIRE.\RM S TO APPREHEND OR ARREST SUSPECTTS
Police use of firearms to apprehend suspects often
strains community relations or even results in serious dis
turbances. For e.xample, the San Francisco riot of 1966
started after a juvenile was shot and killed while fleeing
from a stolen car.̂ *“ Severe tensions were aroused in Los
.■\ngeles during May 1966, after an officer’s firearm acci
dentally discharged and killed a man who had refused to
stop his automobile until it was forced to the curb.'“ ‘
In St. Louis, disturbances began in September 1966 after
police officers shot and killed a person who had his hands
handcuffed behind him in a police car located in the
courtyard of police headquarters. The police assert that
the suspect threatened officers in the car with a tear gas
pistol he had in his belt behind him which the officers
had failed to find in a search earlier.'*'*
When studied objectively and unemotionally, particular
uses of firearms by police officers are often unwarranted.
For example, an American Bar Foundation study revealed
one instance where a foot patrolman signaled a speeding
driver to stop. ^Vhen the driver did not, the officer fired
five times at the speeding car.*”
A study by an American Civil Liberties Union affiliate
in a medium-sized city found that officers fired guns more
than 300 times in a 2-year period and over one-third
were during automobile chases involving juveniles.'*”
.“Vn average of 240 persons per year were fatally injured by
police between 1950 and 1960.'*=* The Michigan State
study concluded that police officers often use guns indis
criminately and that this was due, in large part, to over
emphasis of danger in police work.*” While the murder
of a single police officer is a tragedy, as of 1955, the rate of
total police fatalities while on duty (including accidents)
was 33 fatalities per 100,000 officers which was less than
the rate of deaths on duty in mining (94), agriculture
(55), construction (76), and transportation (44).*”
It is surprising and alarming that few police depart
ments provide their officers with careful instruction on
the circumstances under which the use of a firearm
is permissible. For e-xample, a 1951 survey of Michigan
police forces found that 27 out of 49 had no firearms
policies.*'* A survey in 1964, of 45 of the 51 American
cities of over 250,000 population, found that 3 had no
tvritten firearms policy,*'* and, while others had com
prehensive policy statements, many were quite limited.
For example, one simply prohibited w'arning shots, one
instructed its officers to “exercise the greatest possible
caution,” and 10 urged officers to use “good judg-
menL” *'“ While it is true that many departments have
oral firearms policies, these policies have normally de
veloped through customary practices that rarely are the
product of careful analysis and are usually not well under
stood by patrolmen.*”
It is essential that all departments formulate written
firearms policies which clearly limit their use to situations
of strong and compelling need. A department should
even place greater restrictions on their use than is legally
required. Careful review of the comprehensive firearms
use policies of several departments and disctissions with
police administrators indicate that these guidelines should
control firearms use:
1. Deadly force should be restricted to the apprehen
sion of perpetrators who, in the course of their crime
threatened the use of deadly force, or if the officer believes
there is a substantial risk that the person whose arrest is
sought will cause death or serious bodily harm if his
apprehension is delayed. The use of firearms should be
flatly prohibited in the apprehension of misdemeanants,
since the value of human life far out%veighs the gravity
of a misdemeanor.*'*
2. Deadly force should never be used on mere sus
picion that a crime, no matter how serious, was com
mitted or that the penon being pursued committed the
crime. An officer should either have witnessed the crime
or should have sufficient information to know, as a virtual
certainty, that the suspect committed an offense for which
the use of deadly force is permissible.
3. Officers should not be permitted to fire at felony
suspects when lesser force could be used; when the officer
believes that the suspect can be apprehended reasonably
soon thereafter without the use of deadly force; or when
there is any substantial danger to innocent bystanders.
Although the requirement of using lesser force, when pos
sible, is a legal rule, the other limitations are based on
sound public policy. To risk the life of innocent persons
for the purpose of apprehending a felon cannot be
justified.
4. Officers should never use warning shots for any
purpose. Warning sho ts endanger the lives of bystanders,
and in addition, may prompt a suspect to return the
fire. Further, officers should never fire fiom a moving
vehicle.
5. Officers should be allowed to use any necesstiry force,
including deadly force, to protect themselves or other
Suprt« note 22 4t pp- auprst no4* 21 rol. 1, p . I12*
<13 Supra, 8oC« 21 i t ▼'*1. I, p< 1^6.
La*»ren«a E , J it im , **Calm Li Riicoretl la S ia Francisco,** Naw Yprk Time*,
Sep(. 30. 1966, p. I . co l. S.
*** Petar Bart, “ Inqueat Tighcma Taoiiofi >a Valia,** Maw York Tline#, May 21,
1964. p. 13, e e l. 1.
Donald Janaeo. **Sl. Louie Orders Riot Crackdown.** New York Tim es, Sept.
29. 1966. p. 39, co l. 3.
Supra, note 352 at p . 213.
American C » i l Liberties Union, “ PoUca Power »t. Cliiactvs* Rl|hta'* (New
York: The Am eneaa Civil Liberties Union, 1966), pp. V-3.
^ Cerald 0 . Robin, ’'Justifiable H onicida b f Police Ofiesrs,'* JoomaJ ol
Criminal Law. Crim inolofy and Police S cien ce, 5 6 :2 2 ^ 2 2 9 . Robin alan notes
•that an averatn o l CW persona per year wer» fatally injared by police intervention
between 19W and 1960—ap p roiim ateif six tim es the number of officers kilJeiJ by
criminals.
‘53 Supra, nota 22 at pp. 344-345.
^ Supra, aota 421 at pp. 22&-231.
Sam oel C , Chapman and Thompson S . Crockett. **Cunaigbt D ilem m a: Police
Flrearma Policy,** Police, M ay-June 1963. p . 54. ^
Clncianalt P olice Oepartmenl. “ P olice R c(uU (iooa Co^em inf U*« of Firearms
Surver,'* .^pr. 22, 1964, p. 1.
*=• Id. pp. 9-54.
1ST S^pra. note 424 at p. 22.
Th is ia already prohibited in many States by statute. 0(30o78
189 o
190
'm >
persons from death or serious injury. In such cases, it
is immaterial whether the attacker has committed a seri
ous felony, a misdemeanor, or any crime at all.
6. In order to enforce firearms use policies, department
regulations should require a detailed written report on all
discharges of firearms. All cases should be thoroughly
invesdgated to determine whether the use of firearms
was justified under the circumstances.
If all departments formulated firearms use policies
which include the above principles and these policies
were consistently enforced, many of the tragic incidents
which had a direct bearing upon community reladons
could have been avoided.
POLICE TACTICAL PROCEDURES
Police-community reladons are not affected by the
acdons or conduct of individual officers alone. Often,
departmental procedures which are intended to reduce
crime, quell riots, or promote efficiency have a major
effect on police-community reladons. For e.'cample, in
order to reduce crime in a high-crime area, a police
department may saturate it with substandaUy increased
numbers of police officers or decide to use trained dogs
and handlers. In order to make more efficient use of
its penonnel, a police department may use motor rather
than foot patrol or one-man rather than two-man motor
patrols. I Such practices, although often far more efficient
and economical, can somedmes antagonize the public or
at least reduce the opportunity for friendly contacts
which are the basis of good community reladons.
Motorized Patrols
The Nadon’s police forces are increasingly patrolling
in cars rather than on foot because motor patrol is plainly
more efficient—officers can cover many times more area
in the same period of dme—and police officers have more
to do. ”̂ The change to motor patrol can, ho v̂ever,
significandy affect police-community reladons. The
University of California study found that since officers
on motor patrol in San Diego had such a heavy v̂orkload
and were svithout portable police radios, they rarely left
their automobiles to meet citizens in a nonenforcement
situadon.*’” Similarly, a study of another western city
which almost exclusively used motor patrol found that
the officers had “little opportunity to build up an
intimate familiarity, much less an idendficadon, %vith any
neighborhood.”
On the other hand, an officer on foot has the oppor
tunity to have informal and friendly exchanges with the
people whom he quickly comes to know personally. The
public can develop a greater understanding of the officer
and his job. The officer similarly can learn the culture
and opinions of the people in the area and can learn to
appreciate them as individual human beings and not as a
nameless part of a racial, religious, or ethnic group.'*”
.As Professor Oscar Handlin has noted:
I think it is fair to say if one thinks of the large municipalities
as a whole, the links between the police and the communal orga
nizations have not been strengthened in the last quarter of a
century and in some ways have been weakened. In an earlier
period the policeman walking his beat at least had a certain
familiarity with the institutions of his own immediate district.
I’m not putting too much emphasis on that nor do I wish to
romanticize that gallant figure; but nevertheless he knesv some
thing about the actual people and the actual organizations in
the district of the beat which he walked.
Similarly, the Commissioner of the London Metropoli
tan Police S cud :*“
The policeman in a car, on a motorcycle, or absent from his
beat becomes a cipher. * * ♦ fTlbe greatest safeguard of public
relations, as well as the greatest preventive measure against
crime, lies in making good deficiencies on the beat.
The recent Ro) !̂! Commission Report concluded
that; '*'"
In spite of heavy and conflicting demands on their limited
resources we regard it as most important that chief police officers
should bear in mind the need to allocate an adequate number
of men to beat duties, where they will be in touch with the public.
The question then is: Can the need for greater efficiency be
coupled with sufficient informal contact to improve police-
community relations?
There arc several possible patrol techniques and netv
personnel assignments which can accomplish both the
objective of greater efficiency and substandal informal
contact. First, foot patrolmen or community service
officers should probably remain in high-crime, high-
tension areas where the streets are usually crowded. Sec
ond, patrolmen in other areas could ride motor scooters
which permit easier contact with residents.'**’’ Third,
patrolmen either on scooters or in automobiles could
park their vehicles at one end of a block (or rivo) and
then walk around it. If they have portable police radios,
they could still be summoned immediately to proceed to
the scene of an emergency.*'’" Altemadvely, as in Phila
delphia, a two-man car can be used with one partner
walking a beat with a portable radio to communicate
with the man in the car.*” Thus, motor patrolmen are
in effect considered as foot patrolmen using cars to in
crease their mobility. Fourth, informal citizen contacts
by patrol officers using tradidonal motor patrol methods
can be increased by having them work, along with pre
cinct community reladons officers, with community or
ganizations.
One-Man Patrols
Police departments arc increasingly changing from two-
man to one-man motor patrols,*’* Again, this allows
scarce penonnel to cover more area at less cost.
The one-man patrol in itself has no major effect on
police-community relations unless it leads to changes in
other police procedures. It has been suggested that an
m
C o««rQ m eaui R««««reh ‘* O s• '^ ran PoHc» P*<xol C*x O p«r*tioo ,’*
and 0 . V. Wila<yj, “ P u t ih« Cop Back on th # Beat,** both ap p earin c in S am uti
C . Chapm an, r " P o n c e P a tro l R ead ln fa" (S p rin x f ir ld : Chaxlaa C. Thom aa,
1 9 « 4 } .p p . 129 ,d 97.
S u p ra , ac e 21 a t vol. T. pp . l U . 161-162.
S u p ra , a t p . 27.
O fcar K in d lin . "C o m m n n itf O ritaaiaatioa aa a S olu tion to P o iiee-C om m unitr
P ro b le m t." *h« Police Chi*/, M arch 1965. p . 22.
S u p ra , no te IS a t p . 106.
Ib id .
T he p.>llee o4 Naw York C t r . .New R ochelle, W a ah ie jto n . D .C .. .North Bercee.
N .J ., and N ev p o rt, R .I ., reported to the Commiaaion th at they were czpcrim en tiap
with th e uae o i m e te r acootcra in co n ju n c tio n with p rofram a to p r e t id e traaa-
p o rta iioo for tnen form erly aaait^ed to foot p a tro l.
^ O. V . W iU on, " P u t th o Cop Back on th e Beat,** and Thom aa i . Ro^er*.
"R e r ie w o( F oot P a tro l in Chicafo,** bo th a p p e a rin f in Sam uel C . C hapm an. ed „
‘*Police P a tro l R ea d in |^ ’* (S p rio fS e ld : C harlee C. Thom aa, 1964), pp . 97-101:
105*110. Alao. police in New York C itf , O akland, Berkeley, Kalamaxoo, and Mr*
rid en . Conn*, have been equ ipped with p o rtab le police rad ioa, Thia c o n rrp t ia
diacuaaed in de ta il in ch . 3.
S u p ra , no te 21 a t v e l. I I, p . 190; and N orm an L , Clowere. * '0 n a and One*
H alf Man C a n ." P o lice , M areh«ApHl 1960. tp p e a r in c in S am uel C . Chapm an,
r d .. **Poiice P a tro l R eadinfs '* (S p r ia fd c ld : C harlea C , Thom aa, 1964), p p . 102-105.
S u p ra , n o te 429 a t pp . 12^130 .
189j 00()57:)