The recent behavior of the Fresno Police department is much like a series of unfortunate events. It is just one thing after another for Police Chief Jerry Dyer. First, It was the disbandment of the successful Narcotics unit after two officers were accused of stealing a drug suspect’s car. Another officer, Robert Eddings was suspended for filing false documents and lying to the fellow police officers.
But, the real shock came on Monday February 9, when a local man documented two police officers beating a homeless man, Glen Beaty age 52. The Police officers stated that Beaty was resisting arrest. The footage showed graphic images of the two officers punching Beaty in the face. The two officers were placed on alternative duties, after the video was made public. Neither one has been identified.
Paul Cervantes and Hector Becerra arrived in court on Tuesday February 17, where they both entered pleas of not guilty. The two officers from the major narcotics unit are charged with stealing a car from a drug suspect.
Chief Dyer, who addressed local reporters on Thursday February 12 said that “these last two weeks have been the most stressful that I have had in my time as chief”. He also reiterated that he “Hopes that the people of this community will not look at these last incidents, as taking away from the great work the officers have done over the years. The same officers that have gone out and put their lives on the line every day, the same officers who have allowed us to have a 44-year low crime rate. Those are the same officers to which we are referring.”
Fresno’s new mayor Ashley Swearengin who was in Washington DC during the incident has called for an independent police auditor to investigate the situation. This is something that Mayor Swearengin had talked about during her campaign. Swearengin called it “Ironic” that she had been working with her team to craft guidelines for this auditor literally days before this incident. However, the Fresno City Council has yet to vote on it.
Mayor Swearengin who was at the same news conference as Chief Dyer said that she found the video “disturbing”. However she also stated that police officers have the hardest job in Fresno, and that she has “unequivocal confidence in Chief Dyer and in the Fresno Police Department. She then went on to state that she is, “confident we’ll get to the bottom of this and put measures in place to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Since these recent incidents the people of Fresno have been wondering whom to trust. Can we still count on our Police officers to do the far and just thing? Or is this series of unfortunate events leading us to a place that ends with a police department, which is shrouded in violence and corruption.
People have spoken out on both sides. Some are calling for Chief Dyer’s resignation, others dismissing the charges of recent activity as people who were just doing their job. City officials have dismissed the need for an independent auditor saying that it is a waste of our hard earned money. But, if incidents like this continue how many times can we justify it. How many times can we be told that we are just over reacting?
It is true that more and more information is coming out as the days go by. It turns out that the suspect who was assaulted, took a badge from one of the officers, Chief Dyer also stated that after reviewing the video again he saw that the suspect took a pen from his pocket and tried to stab one of the officers with it.
If we just look at the loop that all of the news stations were playing then yes, it does appear to be an unprovoked shameful attack. But, if we can manage to look at it objectively then we might begin to see the whole picture.
