Arrest Video Prompts Investigation By Brooklyn Center Police
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Video of a Twin Cities police officer making an arrest has come under scrutiny.
A Brooklyn Center police officer can be heard in a cellphone video telling 19-year-old Rease Foye-Finch that he will be shot in the head if he doesn't follow orders.
The video was taken by a bystander and posted to Facebook. The department is now investigating what happened.
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When watching that video, it is important to know what led to it. Police say Foye-Finch was wanted for a number of crimes, including fleeing officers.
Some people may have a problem with what the officer said, but "use of force" expert Joe Dutton does not see anything wrong with it.
"It's a dangerous business," Dutton said.
He is a former police officer, and is also one of more than 50,000 people who have watched the video.
"Don't move. I'll put two in the back of your head if you move again, understand me?" said the officer in the video.
Before the officer said those words, Foye-Finch appeared to reach for something while lying on the ground. Dutton said at that point the officer did not know if the suspect was armed or not.
"I'm not sneaking up on you. There is no suspense. I'm telling you what's going to happen if you don't comply," Dutton said. "I don't know why anyone would have a problem with that."
But some people did. While most comments on Facebook supported the officer, some questioned his approach.
"The [officer] threatened to put 2 bullets into the head of another human being. I'm sure you can even figure out that there is a much better way to handle an individual," said one commenter.
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon released a statement, saying, "While the use of a forceful command may be necessary to ensure the safety of both the person being given the command and the officer, threatening language is never appropriate or acceptable."
Dutton disagrees with the chief's statement.
"I don't think they should have put that out because it's not true," he said.
Dutton says in an uncontrolled situation, an officer is making a promise -- not a threat.
He says officers have to make it clear to the person they are arresting that they have to comply.
"He's telling him if you don't do what I say, based on the previous behavior of this individual, that is what's going to happen to him," Dutton said.
He says direct, forceful commands are actually de-escalating tools. If a person has any thoughts about doing something desperate that could put themselves or the officer in danger, those commands might change their mind.
Investigators said Foye-Finch has a history of fleeing police, along with theft and drug possession. Police said neither he nor the officer were hurt.
Part of the confrontation was also caught by the camera in the officer's car, so the department will also review that footage.
