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Wednesday, April 29, 2015
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MPD chief clarifies use of deadly force policy By Irene Burski The daily cardinal
Madison Police Department Chief Mike Koval called for a broader discussion regarding MPD’s “deadly force” policy on his blog Tuesday, in the continuing aftermath following the shooting death of Tony Robinson this March. “Use of force is one of the most critical and criticized pieces of law enforcement,” said Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5. “It’s certainly a big piece of the current conversation.” Koval’s post came in concurrence with the community preparing for the district attorney’s decision on whether to prosecute MPD Officer Matt Kenny for his involvement in the death of Tony Robinson. The decision is expected to be released in the upcoming
weeks, following a 48-hour advisory pre-announcement. “In our line of work, officers are not granted any “mulligans” or “do over’s” when confronted with a deadly force encounter,” Koval wrote. “If an officer is faced with a suspect pointing a gun at them from close range, the cop should not be forced to “guess” as to whether the subject is bluffing.” MPD’s policy only authorizes the use of deadly force when in defense of another or oneself under the “imminent danger of death,” or to aid in the arrest of a suspect that either has or is expected “to cause death and great bodily harm,” which requires the officer to have “reasonable cause,” according to Koval’s post. Deadly force is not authorized for use as a warning shot, for use
from a moving vehicle unless under special circumstances or for when its use rather than nonuse would potentially put bystanders in danger. All instances of deadly force use are required to be reported immediately to the officer in charge or immediate supervisor. “Whenever there is a police action that results in the loss of life, it is understood and entirely appropriate that everything should be scrutinized,” Koval wrote. According to national statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, jointly published with the National Institute of Justice, the rate of civilians being shot and killed was about one instance per 1,000 officers. However, statistics also showed more than 27 million complaints of “excessive force” reported in city police departments.
Emily Buck/the daily cardinal
MPD Chief Mike Koval wrote in a post that officers don’t get second chances when determining whether to use deadly force.
Police violence against blacks considered to be a ‘queer issue’ By Abbey Alfredson The daily cardinal
Jen Wagman/Cardinal File Photo
Madison Mayor Paul Soglin criticized Uber’s practices Tuesday and called on Gov. Scott Walker to veto the recent Uber bill.
Soglin calls for Uber reform amid two sexual assaults By Jen Wagman The daily cardinal
Calling the incidents “inevitable,” Madison Mayor Paul Soglin responded to sexual assault allegations Tuesday involving drivers employed by the privately owned rideshare service Uber. “[Uber] is taking time and resources, unnecessarily, because of [their] attitude [as a] billion dollar international corporation which does not respect the law,” Soglin said during a press conference. In his remarks on the importance of private transport safety in
Madison, Soglin articulated a desire for increased industry regulations of private transportation companies by local government. “[Uber] has stonewalled us [by] saying, which is their right, that they will not provide us with information about the driver without a search warrant or subpoena,” Soglin said, speaking on the company’s handling of the sexual assault allegations. However, the Uber website says the company requires an extensive
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M Adams, Freedom Inc. and Young, Gifted and Black Coalition organizer, provided insight to an audience of students through her “lived experience” of having a father who was incarcerated for more than 20 years and her life as a person who is both black and genderqueer. The event, titled “How Police Killing Unarmed Black People is a Queer Issue,” saw Adams argue that police brutality toward blacks coexists with the battle for rights the LGBTQ community faces. She argued the LGBTQ community fits within the human rights framework, which advocates equal rights for all humans. “Human rights are for
humans,” Adams said to a round of applause. Adams said police brutality should be a concern for the white LGBTQ community because there are many facets to a person besides their sexuality, all of which must be taken into account when advocating for certain rights and equal treatment by police. “My queer is black,” Adams said. “So, if I’m going to be free as a queer black person my black must also be free.” Kiah Price, a student who attended the lecture, said Adams spoke out about issues that are typically not discussed and believes her argument was valuable. “Black lives matter and black trans* matter,” Price said. “If we are going to call ourselves a real society and
have humanity, then we have to embrace humanity.”
“If I’m going to be free as a queer black person my black must also be free.” M Adams organizer Freedom Inc. and Young, Gifted and Black
Adams also touched base on the “urban rebellion” in Baltimore, which she said is a black queer issue. She believes the white LGBTQ community needs to support the “rebellion” because there are queer black people involved, both
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Madison police arrest teenager in Cheba Hut incident A surveillance video led to the Monday arrest of a juvenile suspected of pointing a handgun at Cheba Hut employees, according to a Madison Police Department spokesperson. The 16-year-old male suspect shattered the glass front door of the downtown sandwich shop at 453 W. Gilman Street after getting into an
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argument with another patron early Saturday morning. The teen pointed a handgun at restaurant staff members after they chased him into an alleyway outside Cheba Hut around 2:45 a.m. The suspect was described by police as 5-foot-8-inches tall and around 160 pounds in their initial report.
MPD officers arrested the suspect and took him to the Juvenile Reception Center. The suspect now faces tentative charges of second degree reckless endangerment, damage to property, carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct, according to MPD Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain.
COMIDA KING:
Chipotle and Qdoba duke it out
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