Groups representing San Jose’s diverse ethnic communities have called for the resignation of Police Chief Rob Davis, claiming that the police use excessive force in dealing with minorities. “There needs to be a change in the culture of the current police force, and we don’t think that Police Chief Davis can make that change,” wrote Richard Konda, executive director of the Asian Law Alliance.
The Asian community has been at the center of several high-profile cases involving the excessive use of force. These include the deadly shooting of Daniel Pham and, more recently, the tasing of Vietnamese student Phuong Ho. Other minorities also claim to be affected by excessive police action, including the Latino community. The Mercury News has published a series of artices claiming to document a disproportional number of arrests for various misdemeanors, including public intoxication, affecting members of this community. Reverend Jethroe Moore II, President of the San Jose branch of the NAACP, described the SJPD’s activities as “cowboy-style policing.”
Other groups that joined the ALA and NAACP in calling for Davis’s immediate resignation include La Raza Lawyers and the San Jose Peace and Justice Center.
Read More at The Mercury News.
UPDATE: Statement from Bobby Lopez, President of the San Jose Police Officers Association, on Calls for Police Chief Rob Davis to Resign:
Community activists who have called for Chief Davis to resign are well-intentioned but misinformed. I’ve met with many of these activists and understand their concerns about our police department. I also see that they have limited understanding of our jobs and how we interact with the community. For example, most people are surprised when I tell them that in 2008 we arrested over 38,000 people and had only 117 complaints. That’s less than one percent. It’s important for all of us not to overreact to incidents and allegations that don’t tell the whole story.
Under Chief Davis, the police department has not grown in their community policing talents. Since moving here twenty-five years ago I have found a fairly consistent, grumpy, if not anger centered, police department.As a middle age white male, I too hesitate to approach officers in the field. Their scowls and hostility is so evident and prevalent that encountering a “friendly” officer give my wife and I something to revel over. “Amazing”, we have said upon encountering a civil officer, “a nice police officer.” “How nice.”
That should not be our experience. I cannot imagine what minorities experience from this department if a middle aged white man has encounters of this nature.
I travel all over this country and throughout the world (Western societies) and rarely encounter such officers’ anger. I am not naive enough to think that other cities and countries don’t have their share of bad apples, I just believe the San Jose department has too many officers that need serious anger management classes.
I travel too all over the US. You must not have ever been to LA or DC or Miami or New Orleans or Boston. Cops here are way more professional and polite than those places. I find them very good to excellent overall.
Where to begin with your stupidity? Hard to say. How about this: Police officers have a job unlike any other in society. Apparently you don’t think so or care. Just like soldiers on tour, I don’t expect them to be “cheery”. I expect and prefer a focused, steely, deliberate officer or soldier who will do his/her best when called upon. If they’re a little edgy, well I can understand and cut em slack. Why, because they can be murdered and that’s part of the frigg’n job description!!! God forbid but it actually happens, in case you haven’t noticed in your candya$$ world. People here in CA, especially the leftist whacked-out Bay Area, expect cops to kiss their A$$. Will never happen. Go to NYC, Philly, Boston, Chicago, any frigg’n major city in the country and see how “cheery” and “friendly” cops are there. You sir, are a primadona and a dumba$$.
I’m no fan of the chief’s, but with so many from San Jose’s bottom-feeding community calling for his resignation, maybe I need to take a second look.
It’s time for REAL change, it’s time to roll up our sleeves. This chief is not in tune anymore with the community.
You have my vote for a new chief.
If the goal is to hold police accountable for their behavior, then only increased powers and independence for the Independent Police Auditor and civilian oversight of SJPD will be able to achieve that.
However, removing Chief Davis is not a bad idea since he has had the opportunity to discipline or remove the bad apples in SJPD, but has not done so. He just patronizes the community with pledges to do redundant internal housekeeping like having senior officers review training and also review complaints which is what Internal Affairs ought to be doing.
http://www.sanjoseinside.com/sji/blog/entries/sjpds_internal_review_under_fire/
But without mechanisms that are independent of the SJPD (and independent of the City bureaucrats) who can carry out investigations and prosecutions when necessary, the new Chief will be unable and unwilling to hold police officers accountable, just like Davis has been.
“The essential first step in solving any problem — especially a complex, emotional controversy — is to “understand the problem” and its many interrelated topics so that everyone’s efforts will be focused on solving the problem, not continuing to argue over the question: “What is the problem?”
http://protectsanjose.com/blogs/1-default/128-understanding-the-problem
“There were several verbal attempts to coax Pham to drop his knife — he had just cut his brother Brian’s neck shortly before, which is why police were called to the home on Branbury Way. Then, officers discussed trying to get Pham to drop the knife by using a stun bag, and then a Taser. But nothing worked, police reports show.”
“Pham approached officer Brian Jeffrey, right arm raised in the air with the knife, and that’s when both Jeffrey and officer Matthew Blackerby shot Pham to death.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_13781481
“There were several verbal attempts to coax Pham to drop his knife — he had just cut his brother Brian’s neck shortly before, which is why police were called to the home on Branbury Way. Then, officers discussed trying to get Pham to drop the knife by using a stun bag, and then a Taser. But nothing worked, police reports show.”
When arrived, the police already hint that they were dealing with a mental problem individual. Do you think the mental problem person can take command from the police right away? Even in their right mind like the SJ State student, he still got beat up by the police like an animal.
“Pham approached officer Brian Jeffrey, right arm raised in the air with the knife, and that’s when both Jeffrey and officer Matthew Blackerby shot Pham to death.”
Yes, Pham did approach the officer, but do they have to shot him 14 times? Why not shot him once or two on his leg or hand? Did the police train to kill or to protect?
Concerned Citizen asked, “Yes, Pham did approach the officer, but do they have to shot him 14 times? Why not shot him once or two on his leg or hand? Did the police train to kill or to protect?
They used a stun gun, and a taser and neither worked that is when they shot him. According to reports. Pham had slit his own throat in an attempt to kill himself, and charged at the Officers even though he was shot in non-lethal body parts. He apparently was really out of control, had not taken his meds. I’m sure they did shoot him in areas to try and stop not kill him, but mentally ill people have super human strength.
What behaviors? Both Civil and Grand Juries have found NO wrong doing on the part of the Police in any of the cases these groups are screaming about.
The 911 tapes just released supports the Police.
It’s foolish to think that any wrong-doings on the part of SJPD are part of some institutionalized culture of brutality. Cops are not infallible but brutality-as-policy would have been exposed already. Blame the officers responsible on a case-by-case basis. Davis is not a dictator.
It’s interesting that the Merc could find a few “minority community leaders” who most San Joseans have never heard of to join their “pile on” of the SJPD.
Any day now we can expect the editorial that points to this group of “leaders” (does anyone here feel they are “lead” by these “leaders?) as evidence that “the community” wants Chief Rob Davis to resign. It will be complete BS, but that’s what we’ve come to expect from the Merc.
When even Bobby Lopez, someone who is about as anti-police administration as you can find, issues a statement (printed above) calling the activists “misinformed” on their demands for the Chief’s head you’ve got to wonder who, besides the Merc and these so-called “community leaders”, really wants the Chief to quit?
Perhaps the La Raza Lawyers and other groups should re-direct their focus to keeping their members out of gangs, cutting the crime rate within their communities, working to provide more mental health services for those who need it, and working cooperatively with a police department that wants to work with them to reduce crime and provide services within their communities. Once they’ve worked to clean up their own house maybe these so-called “leaders” would earn credibility for the next time they want to weigh in on city issues.
Well said, Reader. If I was a member of one of these ethnic groups I would be outraged that the Mercury printed what these self-anointed “leaders”, claiming to speak for their entire community, as the gospel truth. The Mercury, in an attempt to sell papers for it’s parent company which is in bankruptcy, has done incredible damage to the community with it’s reckless journalism. I find it ironic that the editorials of the Mercury cry for police accountability, when the writers of the Mercury have absolutely no accountability for what they write.
Steve, and Reader,
I’m not sure but I think the media might be using these groups as pawns to pressure the Mayor and Council into opening Police records under the guise of the “public’s right to know”, and misleading them into believing that they are being discriminated against by Police, so that they can save millions on lawsuits against the City to get information that is protected, and saves them hundreds of thousands of dollars on the hundreds of Public Information Requests they ask for.
I know the media has skewed these numbers and others for something more than sales.
Would one of the “leaders” calling for Mr. Davis’ resignation please tell us how they would have handled the Daniel Pham situation? If police did nothing wrong, please tell us why this incident is being used as a reason for calling for Davis to resign. If Davis did resign what type of chief would replace him? Somebody like Joseph McNamara? Oops, didn’t he just write a column supporting SJPD and Mr. Davis?
Steve O asks, ” If Davis did resign what type of chief would replace him?” Someone like Barbara Attard more like.
Steve O asks ” ” If Davis did resign what type of chief would replace him?”
City Manager has already selected Davis replacement according to City hall insiders – Los Gatos Police Chief who will like San Jose’s Fire Chief do what she says without question, cut money and staff even if it make San Jose public safety worst and does not stand up for neighborhoods and community policing
Chief Davis says what the facts are and asks for more public safety staff and funds to improve San Jose and has been told to not publicly disagree with City Manager’s budget or cuts
For those few who don’t like Davis, be careful what you wish for – San Jose can be worst – crimes , response times and public safety if a new Chief goes along with budget cuts