NAACP president in South Bend says she is responding to pattern
By Carol Draeger, South Bend Tribune (South Bend, Ind.)
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The leader of the local Fraternal Order of Police chapter said comments an NAACP official uttered recently about police brutality were irresponsible and could spark a riot or a court battle.
At a press conference Friday, Scott Ruszkowski, president of the FOP Lodge 36, defended an officer who two people said used excessive force during arrests recently.
Tanya Smith, who was arrested for disorderly conduct May 30, said Cpl. Jess Elliott broke her arm. In a separate incident, Derry Vaughn, who shoplifted three cartons of cigarettes on May 23, alleges Elliott broke his wrist during a chase and struggle, which included the two scaling a fence and falling on the ground.
A man who claims to have witnessed the event, however, has said the police officer did not use excessive force on Vaughn.
The reported incidents gained media attention, which spurred the president of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter to urge the city and police department to form a citizen review board to review allegations of excessive force by police officers.
NAACP Chapter president Trina D. Robinson on Tuesday said that if the city does not take the allegations seriously, inaction could spark a melee similar to last year’s Benton Harbor riots.
“We feel this statement alone not only plants the seed of violence, but also welcomes it,” Ruszkowski told about 45 police officers who gathered at an FOP hall on South Main Street.
He said when the facts are brought to light and the internal and external court proceedings are complete, and if the cases go to court, he will talk at length about the cases.
“As a police union, it is our obligation and responsibility to ensure any accused officer receives a fair and complete investigation without trying the case in public,” he said.
Inaccurate or purposefully malicious remarks made about the actions of police officers will be reviewed by an FOP lawyer for possible libel or slander charges, according to Ruszkowski.
“We have legal recourse and have called on our counsel to vigorously pursue these types of actions,” he said.
In a phone interview Friday, Robinson said she stands by her previous comments.
“We are not trying to incite a riot. We are trying to create awareness of the situation,” Robinson said.
She accused the police department of shying away from the “reality” of excessive force by police officers.
She said her comments are in response to a pattern of excessive force used by a number of South Bend police officers in different instances, not specifically the Vaughn case.
She said the NAACP has a list of 10 officers who have used excessive force during arrests.
The names may be released, she said, after research is conducted.
Elliott is not on the NAACP’s list, she said.
An atmosphere for riots occurs when city leaders and the police department refuse to talk about “real” problems, she said.
“The FOP is neglecting to heed the warning of excessive force.”
That causes a “hostile situation that can lead to a riot,” she said.