By now, everyone in town, most of the county, parts of the state, nation and world are aware of an incident involving a Watonga police officer and a citizen.
I am not going to rehash that incident or delve into right and wrong.
What I am going to suggest is the city implement a protocol to handle complaints by citizens concerning police officers.
There may even be one that is decades old, but if so, it needs to be brought into this century.
I believe a working protocol would protect both parties. Granted, this is a small town and has a small police force. But if an officer is under investigation, what harm is there in placing him/her on administrative duty – basically riding a desk – while the investigation takes place? It makes the residents feel like they are being listened to and it insulates the officer from public ire or even physical threats or harm.
I’m not suggesting every time an officer spits on the sidewalk he has a sit down. There must be a certain level of doubt before a duty change is implemented. But when there is a significant question or questions raised, the multi-level change in duty could be used.
For example, there could be certain alleged infractions that warrant desk duty and others that necessitate administrative leave – i.e., suspension with or without pay.
And it isn’t like the Watonga P.D. would have to come up with the protocol on its own. Other cities have them and would be happy to share. Police unions probably also have templates for this sort of situation. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
And while this is going on, it is probably a good idea for the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office to write one, or dust off the one it has, too.
With the prevalence of body cameras, cell phones and other surveillance equipment, allegations like this are going to become more and more frequent. I’m not saying that is a bad thing. Being a law enforcement officer doesn’t give someone the right to run rough shod over others.
Those same videos can show a citizen in the wrong.
And nothing on a video warrants an outcry for citizens to harm or even kill cops.
But knowing there is a protocol in place to address the issue when it does arise is the same as the department and city government saying to the citizenry ‘We take your concerns seriously,’ while at the same time telling its officers ‘We have your back.’
And it wouldn’t cost much to put together and make it work. Especially when compared to the cost of a lawsuit.