WCPO-TV, the ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio recently aired a “hatchet” piece about police use of force created by their I-TEAM. The piece focused on a vehicle pursuit in Newport, Kentucky, a small city directly across from Cincinnati. Using body camera video obtained from the Police Department, the story claimed that the force used on one of the passengers was excessive. To bolster their position, they interviewed Dr. Lorie Fridell, a use of force “expert” who said that the force used was neither reasonable or necessary. Dr. Fridell’s LinkedIn profile bio shows:
“Dr. Fridell, a former Director of Research at PERF, is an Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Her primary research areas are police use of force and violence against police. She is also a national expert on racial profiling. Dr. Fridell developed the “fair and impartial policing” perspective that is based on the science of bias. With funds from the Department of Justice, she and experts have created various fair and impartial policing curriculums targeting: police command staff, patrol officers, first line supervisors, police trainers and community members. She has consulted with and/or trained at a number of agencies/entities nationwide including the San Francisco PD, LAPD, Kansas Racial Profiling Task Force, Toronto Police Services, Rhode Island Chiefs of Police, Madison PD, La Crosse PD, Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance, Austin PD, Massachusetts Chiefs Association, Berkeley PD, Oakland PD, Institute on Race and Justice, and Rand Inc. Dr. Fridell has an MA and Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine. Her speaking skills are indicated by her five university-level teaching awards.”
What the cam actually shows is that multiple commands to exit the vehicle were ignored requiring the officers to break out a window. The cam also shows that the injured passenger had to be physically extracted and then locked one arm under his body to make it impossible to secure him in handcuffs. One officer used hand and knee strikes which, regrettably, caused significant injuries including damage to one eye socket.
Dr. Fridell’s bio shows that she created a “fair and impartial policing that is based on the science of bias.” That functions on the assumption that bias exists in law enforcement.
Whether the piece reflects a bias on the part of station management or was an attempt to boost sagging ratings, it is clear that it has no basis in fact. The fact is that officers are authorized to respond to unlawful resistance on the part of a person under arrest and physical force is a measured response to physical resistance.
You can watch the complete story at https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/i-team/help-me-god-newport-police-body-camera-reveals-new-insight-into-use-of-force-incident