opinion

OPINION: Release the names of officers who shot Jermaine Massey

Jermaine Massey is dead as result of an officer-involved shooting. Four Greenville County sheriff's deputies are on leave pending the completion of an investigation. Their names and other details about their employment history have not been released.

The decision to protect the officers' identities is the result of a new policy issued by 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins. It's a policy that some police agencies abide by, while others do not. Even in the Upstate, there is disagreement about whether the names of officers involved in deadly incidents should be released.

A report from The International Association of Chiefs of Police suggests that releasing the names of officers within 48 hours of an incident enhances public trust and adds to the transparency and integrity of the investigation. Exceptions should be made in cases where there has been a credible threat to an officer, the report suggests.

We agree.

When officers are involved in situations where someone is killed, the full report should be released to the public in a timely manner, including the names of the officers. The Greenville News requested the recording of the 911 call involving Massey's death through the state's Freedom of Information Act. The Sheriff's Office released the 911 recording, but has not released the incident report or the dash cam video to the public.

Solicitor Wilkins begs to differ on naming officers. “While a case is under review and no charges are made, we’re not going to identify a particular officer who had just had to use his service weapon,” Wilkins told Greenville News reporter Daniel Gross for an article published on this week. “We’re not going to subject him to scrutiny by the public until a case has been vetted and completed. They still have the same rights as everybody else.”

Police officers are different from private citizens. For one, they work for the public and their salaries are paid by taxpayers. The power that comes with carrying a gun and a badge requires that officers be held to a higher standard. When law enforcement officers take the oath of office, they do so with the knowledge that their actions will be scrutinized.

Jermaine Massey's fatal encounter with Greenville Sheriff's deputies began when he called 911 on March 19 to report that he was having a mental breakdown and needed help. Sheriff's deputies arrived to find Massey sitting on the porch. They say he was holding a knife.

When the 35-year-old Massey didn't follow their commands to drop the knife, deputies first attempted to use a Taser on him, according to family members. When he stood up and began pacing and screaming, officers shot and killed him.

After being allowed to view a video of the shooting, Massey's family still has questions. The video showed their loved one in the middle of what they say is clearly a mental breakdown. They wonder why officers didn't do more to diffuse the situation. Authorities have said the officers spent about seven to 10 minutes with Massey.

Ultimately, the officers involved in Massey's death may be cleared. Earlier this year Greenville County Sheriff's deputies were cleared in a fatal shooting of a Landrum man last year who crashed his car into a business. Once the officers were cleared, they returned to duty and their names were not released.

One argument for releasing the names and personnel records of officers involved in shootings is so the public can learn whether the officers involved have a history of using excessive force.

Massey's loved ones have a right to know about the backgrounds of the deputies involved in his death. Withholding such details raises questions when answers are needed. It may be months before the SLED investigation is complete. While the solicitor's office should be given credit for allowing the family to come to their office and view the video, the family and the others in the community are still not satisfied.

There's an inherent distrust, particularly among communities of color, when it comes to how officers handle African-American suspects.

That distrust has led some law enforcement agencies, including some in South Carolina, to divulge more details about the officers involved in violent incidents.

The same is true for officer-involved shootings in other cities this year. In San Jose and in North Little Rock, Arkansas, among other cities, authorities have released the names and experience levels of officers within days of the incidents. Police in North Little Rock released the dash cam video to the public, according to reports.

If a dash cam video is present, its release often helps people get a clearer picture of what transpired. Releasing the identities of officers involved in deadly incidents can sometimes give added clarity. The public's trust depends on transparency from our law enforcement agencies, especially when a death or serious injury has occurred.

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