Former Montgomery Police Chief Speaks on Ferguson, Use of Police Force
“Hands up, don’t shoot.”
That’s the phrase heard in protests across the country, after the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.
It’s also the name of a seminar at Faulkner University Jones School of Law, where on Thursday, former Montgomery Police Chief Kevin Murphy and school faculty talked about the consequences of deadly force.
“It’s tragic that a young man who was unarmed was shot multiple times. No one can be comfortable with that,” said law professor Melvin Otey, who said it is difficult to judge the actions of the Ferguson officer before all the facts are known. Still, he says discussions like this one, about how law enforcement and citizens interact, are important.
“There’s a tension. There’s a push and pull. We never have gotten it completely right and maybe we never will, but we have to always have this discussion,” Otey said.
The U.S. Justice Deparment will launch an investigation into policing in Ferguson and whether the shooting was justified. As scenes of police in full riot gear emerged, so did debate about the use of military-grade equipment by law enforcement. Former Montgomery Police Chief Kevin Murphy says it’s useful in some cases.
“Heaven forbid if there’s ever a situation that calls for someone who’s heavily armed, you’re going to want your local law enforcement to have the necessary tools at their disposal to react to the threat,” said Murphy.
He says the Montgomery Police Department bought some of the tools while he was chief, including an armored car, a former Brinks vehicle he says the department bought for $10. He says when he had the chance to buy some old military gear, he said no.
“Some of this equipment is not new. It’s very worn. It’s been out in the desert and it would certainly pose a lot of financial drain,” Murphy said.
Students at Faulkner told us they are glad the law school is addressing the sensitive issues.
“We talk about it a lot, but to have the professor and a former police chief to sit down and break it down for us, it was awesome,” said Marianalyn Dennis.
“Not only is it going to help, it’s going to raise the awareness. If you ignore a problem, it’ll never get solved,” said Eric Garman.
Police in Ferguson, Missouri say the officer who shot Brown acted in self-defense after Brown attacked him. Other witnesses say Brown’s hands were in the air, as he surrendered, when the officer fired the shots.
A grand jury will decide whether the officer will face any criminal charges.
