Elorza Admin Has Not Released Body Cam Footage of Alleged Racial Incident Involving Prov Firefighter
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
After nearly two weeks, Jorge Elorza’s administration has yet to release the body camera footage of the alleged racial incident between two Providence Police officers and a Providence firefighter.
The Elorza administration claims the footage will be released — maybe as early as this week, but refuses to give a definitive timeframe.
In contrast, Atlanta police officials released the body camera footage of the shooting of Rayshard Brooks within 36 hours.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBoth the Mayor's office and Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare's office claim the video will be made public, but will not disclose when or answer questions as to why it has taken two weeks.
Terrell Paci, a Providence firefighter, alleged that he was racially profiled by Providence Police and that officers held a gun on him despite him being in uniform and standing in front of a fire station on Messer Street.
Derek Silva, President of the Providence Fire Fighters IAFF local 799, posted the accusations of the event he said took place on Wednesday, June 3 to social media on Friday, June 5 at about 7 PM, just as the Black Lives Matter protest march in Providence with tens of thousands of people -- and public safety officers on duty -- was ending.
Silva tweeted, "We stand with our brother, Terrell Paci, who was on-duty, and in uniform, in front of the Messer Street fire station when he and a visitor were profiled by Providence Police. A twenty-three-year-old black firefighter had a gun drawn - and held - on him even after he announced himself as a firefighter, even as he stood before these police officers in his full fire department uniform, in front of his workplace.
This situation makes clear that even in uniform - a young black man is not immune from the impact of systemic, institutional racism.
While we value our working relationship with the Providence Police, and know there are many officers who are working to change police culture, this incident proves that there is more work to be done."
Providence Police Union Deny Claims
The Providence FOP Lodge 3 is strongly disputing the claims of the firefighter and comments made by Silva.
The FOP said in a statement, "Recently, a Providence firefighter went on the local news proclaiming officer misconduct against one of our Providence Police Officer members, followed by a very damning social media message put out by their union president. We, the Providence Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #3, wholeheartedly disagree with the content of this firefighter’s statement and the context of the firefighter union’s message, and we have gathered the facts and information which tells the true story and we believe vindicates our officers.
"It is sad and disgusting that a Providence firefighter would distort the truth about our police officers, and that his opportunistic union president would recklessly publicize these mistruths in an environment when police are under attack. The only injustice here is that by the firefighter in question and his union president." READ THE ENTIRE STATEMENT HERE
Providence Community-Police Relations Act
On June 1, 2017, the Providence City Council gave the final passage to the Providence Community-Police Relations Act (PCPRA), the revised Community Safety Act. According to the Council, the ordinance is "a comprehensive, community-driven ordinance that aims to end racial profiling and codify into law best practices in police conduct from around the country.
"The comprehensive scope of the ordinance makes it the first of its kind in the country," said a press release issued by the Council at the time.
The revised legislation was approved with recommended amendments from a panel comprised of community members, police administration and union representatives, and City solicitor, administration, and City Council representatives.
The previous version had pitted community activists and Elorza against the Providence Police union and Clements.
After the high profile shooting of Joseph Santos and Christine Demers on I-95 in November of 2017, the ACLU raised questions about the failure of Providence Police to activate their body cameras.
The ACLU wrote in the analysis of the shooting:
POLICE BODY CAMERAS: Three Providence officers present for the shooting were equipped with body cameras, but only one of the cameras was activated. Was this at least partly due to the PPD’s own policy, about which the ACLU has previously expressed concerns, governing the activation of the cameras?
The analysis wraps up by saying, “We fully recognize the difficulties officers face in quick-moving situations like this. It is critical to examine the totality of the circumstances before judging the actions of the police in this case. In the absence of additional information, it would be wrong to blame the police for what they did, but it is just as inappropriate for police officials to so quickly conclude that there is no fault by police for what happened either. . . . We hope that in the coming days, the questions we have raised will be addressed and more detailed explanations about the actions taken by both the city and state police will be provided.”
Debate Since Ferguson
The use of body cameras has gone back years, and most recently to 2014 and the aftermath of the Ferguson, Ohio shooting that killed Michael Brown.
As GoLocal reported in 2014, Providence leaders and community members were divided over the potential use of police body cameras, following President Barack Obama's proposal of a three-year, $263 million investment package that would increase their use by local law enforcement agencies (LEAs) -- just of over a week following the Ferguson decision, which resulted in protests around the country, and in Rhode Island.
While the White House outlined that a "new Body Worn Camera Partnership Program would provide a 50 percent match to States/localities who purchase body cameras and requisite storage..the proposed $75 million investment over three years could help purchase 50,000 body cameras," Rhode Island law enforcement and community leaders were split on the prospect of having them considered for utilization in the state.
"I think it's a tool in which we should have in policing," said Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare said in 2014. "I've long advocated for in-car video, and now with the technology and the affordability of the technology, I think it's a good tool to have audio and visual recordings of interactions of police officers and the public."
"There are some challenges -- if there's a fear of 'Big Brother,' there can be a chilling effect on the job you do but the evidence has shown that those departments that have used those devices, and have had the proper training, that it helps defend police officers to dispute allegations of misconduct, and it saves more officers than hurts," said Pare. "It's embraced in those instances where it shows it helps."
In 2014, Shannah Kurland, a community activist and attorney told GoLocal that the body cams alone were not the answer.
"It would be wonderful to think that body cams or anything else are a magic solution to police racism and violence. But I'm old enough to remember how the police who ruthlessly beat Rodney King got off, despite video proof of what they did. In the case of body cams we need strict guarantees that officers will have no ability to turn them off when it's convenient, and I don't know if that's technologically feasible given Taser International's close relationship with police departments," said Kurland. "Personally, I feel a lot safer when community members are the ones videotaping, and that can only happen when the police respect people's First Amendment rights."
Related Articles
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- Head of Prov Fire Union Accuses Police of Racially Profiling & Pulling Gun on Minority Firefighter
