A second internal Columbia police investigation related to a narcotics SWAT raid has concluded with the reprimand of a patrol officer.
The officer provided misinformation to a concerned resident after a Feb. 11 raid of Jonathan Whitworth's home, 1501 Kinloch Court. After seven gunshots were fired in the home at 8:30 p.m. to kill what police ruled was an aggressive pit bull, the neighbor was told by an officer what she heard and saw was "just a drill."
The reprimand is not a suspension, Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton said. A permanent note will be in his file saying that he gave a resident inaccurate information.
"It was simply a young officer that did not know what to say," he said. Burton would not identify the officer.
The chief said the incident originated when the resident called 911 to find out what was going on in her neighborhood. Columbia/Boone County Joint Communications transferred the call to the officer. SWAT Commander Lt. Scott Young later called the woman back with an explanation of what took place, and Burton said the woman was satisfied with the answer.
The police chief told reporters yesterday the officer should have told the woman he did not know what was going on and that he would try to find someone who did. "Sometimes that is good enough," he said.
A second resident on Kinloch Court contacted Joint Communications through its non-emergency number to find out about the gunshots she heard. A recording of that call shows the woman was told by an operator that no shots were fired. "It wasn't shots, ma'am," the operators says on the recording. "It's what they use when they do their thing."
The woman who placed the call, speaking to the Tribune on condition of anonymity, said she had spoken to her backyard neighbor before placing the call, and the neighbor said an officer had told her it was "just a drill."
"We are scared to death here," the woman said during the phone call.
"I assure you you're OK. They've got everybody in custody," the staffer answers.
Young also followed up with the second caller to explain what took place, and she told Young she had never seen anything suspicious at Whitworth's home.
"There were no funny smells," she said. "If there was something suspicious, I would be the first one to call and make a report about it. ... By that time, I was exasperated by the whole thing. I was not believing anything anyone was telling me."
Joint Communications Director Zim Schwartze later contacted the woman to tell her that she had reviewed the conversation and that the operator had in good faith indicated to her what she believed was happening, which adheres to the department's policy, Schwartze said. She said the staffer's comments were a result of her belief that the sounds heard were "flash bang" devices typically used in SWAT raids.
"The operator told her what we knew at that time," Schwartze said. "What the operator said is what the operator thought was happening."
A flash bang was not used during the Kinloch Court raid, police said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Columbia Daily Tribune
Author: Brennan David
Copyright: 2010 The Columbia Daily Tribune
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
The officer provided misinformation to a concerned resident after a Feb. 11 raid of Jonathan Whitworth's home, 1501 Kinloch Court. After seven gunshots were fired in the home at 8:30 p.m. to kill what police ruled was an aggressive pit bull, the neighbor was told by an officer what she heard and saw was "just a drill."
The reprimand is not a suspension, Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton said. A permanent note will be in his file saying that he gave a resident inaccurate information.
"It was simply a young officer that did not know what to say," he said. Burton would not identify the officer.
The chief said the incident originated when the resident called 911 to find out what was going on in her neighborhood. Columbia/Boone County Joint Communications transferred the call to the officer. SWAT Commander Lt. Scott Young later called the woman back with an explanation of what took place, and Burton said the woman was satisfied with the answer.
The police chief told reporters yesterday the officer should have told the woman he did not know what was going on and that he would try to find someone who did. "Sometimes that is good enough," he said.
A second resident on Kinloch Court contacted Joint Communications through its non-emergency number to find out about the gunshots she heard. A recording of that call shows the woman was told by an operator that no shots were fired. "It wasn't shots, ma'am," the operators says on the recording. "It's what they use when they do their thing."
The woman who placed the call, speaking to the Tribune on condition of anonymity, said she had spoken to her backyard neighbor before placing the call, and the neighbor said an officer had told her it was "just a drill."
"We are scared to death here," the woman said during the phone call.
"I assure you you're OK. They've got everybody in custody," the staffer answers.
Young also followed up with the second caller to explain what took place, and she told Young she had never seen anything suspicious at Whitworth's home.
"There were no funny smells," she said. "If there was something suspicious, I would be the first one to call and make a report about it. ... By that time, I was exasperated by the whole thing. I was not believing anything anyone was telling me."
Joint Communications Director Zim Schwartze later contacted the woman to tell her that she had reviewed the conversation and that the operator had in good faith indicated to her what she believed was happening, which adheres to the department's policy, Schwartze said. She said the staffer's comments were a result of her belief that the sounds heard were "flash bang" devices typically used in SWAT raids.
"The operator told her what we knew at that time," Schwartze said. "What the operator said is what the operator thought was happening."
A flash bang was not used during the Kinloch Court raid, police said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Columbia Daily Tribune
Author: Brennan David
Copyright: 2010 The Columbia Daily Tribune
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
