April 25, 2007 — The need for more accountability within the V.I. Police Department has been a long-standing bone of contention for many community members — especially when it comes to incidents involving local officers.
During a recent interview, Police Commissioner James H. McCall said he is aggressively working to meet that need, instituting, among other things, a new procedure that refers incidents involving VIPD employees to both the department's Internal Affairs Division and the Department of Justice for investigation.
"I don't want anyone to think that the Police are trying to cover up anything," McCall said on Wednesday. "So what we're doing now is any time an officer is involved in an infraction, not only does it go to Internal Affairs, but I will refer the case to the Attorney General's Office, let them know exactly what's occurred, and make sure they get a copy of the offense. That's the agreement the attorney general and I have."
To aid in the investigation process, McCall said he will also be conducting a comprehensive review of Internal Affairs' procedures and will be instituting other measures to improve the credibility of the division.
Recently, VIPD has come under fire for not immediately releasing information on a string of police shootings that occurred in both districts during the period of March 30 to April 24. While McCall said he will be issuing press releases on future incidents, he also explained that department officials, in an effort to "preserve the integrity" of an investigation, may, at times, be unable to go public with certain details.
Current union contracts also prohibit the names of officers from being released.
"Sometimes, we also don't know everything that happened during an incident — that's why it goes through the investigation process," he said. However, McCall added that once any incident — whether it be the use of deadly force or a domestic violence complaint — is reported, the officer in question is immediately put on paid administrative leave pending investigation.
If a shooting incident is reported, the officer involved is also automatically asked to relinquish his weapon, McCall said, adding that the use of deadly force is permitted if an officer feels that his life or the life of another is in danger, or if the alleged suspect will pose an immediate threat to the community.
"However, deadly force, I think, is something that we should continue to look at and offer ongoing training on the use of deadly force and less lethal alternatives," McCall said.
According to Internal Affairs records, four officers — three on St. Thomas and one on St. John — are currently being investigated for shooting incidents, including:
— March 30: according to McCall, a woman on St. Thomas called 911 to report that her son had driven off in her safari. "An officer saw the vehicle, and started chasing it," he said. "Somewhere around the East End area, police attempted to block the suspect in. According to the report, the suspect rammed his vehicle into the police car, and that's when the officer shot. He didn't hit the suspect, just fired at him."
— April 5: an officer shot at a robbery suspect in Market Square; and
— April 8: Police reports indicate that an officer discharged his weapon at a person in the Frenchtown area. "It was reported that the person was throwing rocks at the officer," McCall said.
Most of the incidents occurred over the five-day Easter break, when several law enforcement squads were on an active search for 12-year-old La'Quina K. Hennis, who was reported missing on Good Friday.
While the number of recent Police incidents may seem overwhelming, Internal Affairs numbers show that only about 5 percent of VIPD's force is currently under investigation. However, seven of the incidents — five on the St. Thomas-St. John district and two on St. Croix — occurred within the past three months.
"That's why we always say that even having one officer out is really too many," McCall said. "It can impact manpower and negatively affect the department in other ways. But we still feel that we should be held to a higher standard in law enforcement, so we will continue to put officers on administrative leave, even if it continues to deplete our manpower."
Cases currently under investigation include:
St. Croix
— one officer under arrest, suspended without pay for domestic violence charges;
— one on paid administrative leave pending investigation into allegations of misconduct with a minor (See "Brief: VIPD Officer Under Investigation for Sexual Assault of a Female Minor");
— seven for alleged injuries sustained while on duty.
St. Thomas-St. John
Administrative leave without pay
— 1 arrested pending trial for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and illegal sexual contact;
Administrative leave with pay
— three for alleged injuries sustained while on duty;
— one sexual complaint;
— one improper display of service weapon;
— one pending forced retirement for violation of the substance abuse program; and
— one for improper conduct.
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