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Scranton
Investigators defend handling of shooting probe
by david singleton (staff writer)
Article courtesy of
Published: June 3, 2009
Friends, family mourn shooting victim Four Scranton cops placed
on paid leave pending fatal shooting investigation Woman dies after
shooting involving Scranton police
State police and the district attorney's office Tuesday defended
their close-to-the-vest handling of the investigation into a North
Scranton woman's fatal shooting by city police, saying the piecemeal
release of detailed information would serve no one's interests.
Five days after Brenda Williams, 52, was shot and killed by officers
who went to her 1501 N. Lincoln Ave. apartment, the details and
circumstances surrounding Thursday night's incident are still shrouded
in official mystery, leading to speculation and innuendo.
State police spokesman Trooper Bill Satkowski said he understands
people want to know what happened, but police will not let the public's
curiosity dictate the conduct of the investigation, which he described
as an independent fact-finding mission.
"We have to consider that we have a victim, and we have Scranton
Police, and if we release information that is not correct or complete,
we are not serving anybody's interests, including the public's,"
he said.
State police at Dunmore are conducting the investigation of the
shooting and will present their findings to Lackawanna County District
Attorney Andy Jarbola, whose office will determine whether the shooting
was justified.
In the meantime, a police training expert said all four officers
would have received instruction in dealing with emotionally disturbed
individuals as part of the state's mandated Act 120 training for
municipal police officers. Family members and friends have said
Ms. Williams had mental health issues. She was reportedly wielding
a knife at the time of the shooting.
"What you are training these people for are things that can
happen" during police encounters with the mentally ill, said
Eugene R. Baidas, a retired state trooper who is director of Lackawanna
College's Police Academy. "But it can be unpredictable, and
things can change real quick."
Mr. Jarbola said details about the shooting will be released after
state police make their report and his office has had an opportunity
to review it, possibly as early as next week. It is the same procedure
his office has followed in similar investigations in the past, he
said.
"We want to gather the entire facts and circumstances and
then answer all the questions. It would be unfair to everybody to
do this piecemeal," he said.
Mr. Jarbola met Monday for more than an hour with two members of
Ms. Williams' family, including a brother who was a high school
classmate of the district attorney.
The family "understands where state police are coming from"
and will be informed of the contents of the state police report
before they are made public, he said.
"We are not going to hold anything back from them," he
said.
The four police officers involved have not been identified. All
have been placed on paid administrative leave until the investigation
is completed.
In the 785-plus hours of instruction required by Act 120, prospective
officers receive 10 hours of training - eight near the beginning
and another two near the end - that specifically addresses people
with mental illness, Mr. Baidas said. But it is an element that
runs through other aspects of the training, including the use of
force.
"The hard part is no two (mentally ill individuals) react
in the same way," he said.
In addition, in 2002, the state Municipal Police Officers' Education
& Training Commission mandated three hours of in-service training
on dealing with the mentally ill for officers in Pennsylvania. Police
Chief David Elliott confirmed Tuesday two of the four officers who
responded to Ms. Williams' home were on the force at that time and
received the training.
Jim Jordan, executive director of the Pennsylvania affiliate of
the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said he thinks everyone
understands police officers sometimes have to make difficult, often
split-second decisions.
But the more training they have in dealing with mentally ill individuals,
and the deeper their understanding of the signs and symptoms of
mental illness, the better prepared they are to "de-escalate"
situations, said Mr. Jordan, whose organization offers special training
to police.
"If you know a behavior is more to do with illness and not
resistance, there is a whole different approach you can take,"
he said. "Police officers want to do a good job. We just want
to give them additional tools."
Although city officials say the timing was coincidental, Scranton
police officers do have a new tool at their disposal.
The department started issuing Tasers, or stun guns that cause
temporary immobility, to officers on Friday, the day after the shooting,
Chief Elliott said.
The department purchased 35 of the weapons, and so far, 26 officers
have been trained in their use, he said. The department is seeking
grant money to buy 40 more.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com
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