[Peace-discuss] Man dead in police chase

[Brian Dolinar]

An opinion in the News Gazoo:
This death looks very suspicious.
Anybody have connections in Georgetown?

Police shouldn't get special treatment in investigation
Monday November 6, 2006

Once again, a local police agency isn't being forthright in releasing
information about an incident in which a man died while being pursued
by police. This time, it's a case involving a Georgetown police
officer who reportedly fell upon 47-year-old Curtis Sloan during a
foot chase last Wednesday night. Mr. Sloan died of blunt force trauma
to the chest, according to preliminary autopsy reports.

Vermilion County Sheriff Pat Hartshorn, whose department is
investigating the incident, declined to release the name of the police
officer who was pursuing Mr. Sloan. On the other hand, Hartshorn was
eager to report that Mr. Sloan had been arrested 58 times in Vermilion
County. With that kind of public relations spin being presented this
early in the police probe, members of the public are left to question
how legitimate an investigation will be.

There is absolutely no reason why the name of the police officer
should not be released. If the unnamed police officer had died while
pursuing someone sought in a home invasion, you can be certain that
police would have released not only the officer's name but the
suspect's identity.

This is not the first time this has happened in a local police
investigation, but it ought to be the last. Most recently, Champaign
police refused to identify an officer who had shot a man who was
walking in front of his home, carrying a BB gun.

Secrecy in these cases serves no purpose to anyone. But it does raise
doubts about how thorough a police investigation of a police-related
incident will be, and gives fuel to those who believe such
investigations should be handled by civilian review boards.

-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com