A speeded-up video of a cop beating a seemingly defenseless man doesn’t prove law enforcement nationwide is unleashed and barbaric. In fact, several officers aren’t happy with what they’ve seen of the footage from the urban hellhole known as the City of Passaic.
“From watching the video, it didn’t even look like the guy was a threat to the officer regardless if he was obeying commands or not,” said one. “And I’m not sure where they got the resisting arrest charge out of that. The guy didn’t even fight back. All you needed was one compliance hold and he would have been cuffed.”
I have never relied on anonymous source for facts, and never will. In this case, officers sworn to protect and serve the public have been sharing feelings, emotions, and visceral responses — not facts. Their names aren’t necessary.
To some, the entire incident is revolting. To others, it just doesn’t make sense.
“A complete embarassment, to his dept. and all fellow officers of this state,” one New Jersey officer wrote in a forum posting.
Of course, many are steering clear of the fray, the way that Officer Joseph J. Rios III’s partner walked away while he punched and beat Ronnie Holloway with his baton on May 29.
And while there appears to be irrefutable evidence — recorded by a camera at a nearby tavern — neither she nor Rios have had their part of the story aired publicly. (Photo above is from a video posted on YouTube. Click here to see the actual video from NorthJersey.com.)
“Without the audio and video moving faster then normal speed its hard to tell if excessive force was used,” one New Jersey law enforcement officer said. “He turned on [the] Officer and he was approached to be placed in cuffs and with the street light there blocking partial view.
“We don’t need to jump the gun here.”
Indeed, Holloway — after being forced to the ground — gets back up. Playing devil’s advocate here: That may have been a signal to Rios that he was in danger.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the incident, following an internal affairs review in the department. Rios, a seven-year veteran, remains on desk duty.
But some people apparently have made up their minds.
“It certainly [does] appear like some kind of brawl, not an officer trying to control and take somebody into custody,” one officer said.
“He should start putting a resume together quickly,” another added.
Others have turned their attention to Rios’s partner, Erica Rivera.
“How are you going to just stand there while your partner is wrestling with a guy?” one officer asked. “And she even turned her back on him and got back in the car.”
“She could have helped her partner by getting him secured,” said another.
Yet another officer insisted “We are supposed to get involved and do everything feasible to prevent it.”
It’s been suggested that Rivera steered clear out of confusion about what to do — she can’t pile on and she’s not about to risk either her or her partner’s life by pulling him off. Yet some believe she should have acted as soon as it seemed things had gotten out of hand.
The video shows Rivera calling in on a hand radio and then reaching inside the patrol car. When she emerges, she paces back and forth, as if waiting for backup.
However, she also turns her back on what’s happening.
This “sends a message,” one officer said, to the various passersby who can be seen in the video.
Holloway reportedly said he was just walking along, his sweatshirt open on a warm night, when one of the officers asked him to zip it. The rest is on the silent, stuttering video.
His mother said she told police after the incident that he was schizophrenic and relied on medication. Yet, she said, they released him from the hospital soon after and allowed him to walk home.
There are those who defend Rios, including a fellow Passaic County officer who wrote:
“For the record, ‘Resisting Arrest’ is not just when a subject is fighting an Officer. Refusing to obey verbal commands, stiffening your body, putting your hands in your pocket, lowering your center of gravity, assuming a fighting stance, possessing a menacing demeanor on your face, refusing to get/stay on the ground (Instead, he got back up), while saying [something threatening], in a totality of the circumstances, regardless if he was fighting the male Officer or not, more than constitutes ‘Resisting Arrest!’”
Still, all agree, authorities need to review the incident thoroughly, respond promptly, and explain their decisions clearly.
“The video of this incident is extremely disconcerting,” Mayor Alex Blanco said in a statement on Saturday, after 150 people rallied outside Passaic City Hall, calling for Rios to be fired.”[B]ut I urge the community to withhold judgment until a complete investigation of the incident is concluded and reviewed by independent law enforcement officials.”
UPDATE: Passaic Mayor Alex Bianco has suspended Officer Joseph J. Rios III, who was caught on video beating a mentally disabled man.
“I have called upon the police chief to suspend Officer Rios based on the Passaic County Prosecutor’s investigation of alleged excessive force,” Bianco said in a statement.
“The police chief has executed the necessary paperwork to suspend Officer Rios effective immediately. The suspension is with pay, and as the investigation continues, the status of Officer Rios will be adjusted appropriately.”
Officials also suspended Rios’ partner, Officer Erica Rivera, without pay for filing a report in which they said she lied about being hit with a baton during the incident.
“I understand that a majority of our police department serve admirably and perform their duties in the best interests of our residents,” Blanco said in his statement. “But I am sending a message that conduct unbecoming of an officer will not be tolerated.
It might be best (for him) if he stays on desk duty for a while.