Tempe Officers Association: View full video of Mill Avenue incident before judging

Robert Ferraro

Submitted photo/Tempe Officers Association

The Tempe Officers Association is confident that when the public views the complete recordings, they will better understand why the officers responded as they did. We thank the public for viewing this incident in its full context, and for withholding judgment based on only one perspective of a rapidly moving, complicated interaction.”

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What are your thoughts on use of force by police officers in the Tempe Mill Avenue incident of July 19? Tell us in 300 words or less at yourvalley.net/letters, or email your comments, name, address and contact number to AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

OPINION — Body-worn camera videos and surveillance footage of the July 19 incident on Mill Avenue tell a far different story than the snippet of video posted to Facebook.

Tempe officers responded quickly to multiple men involved in an altercation. The officers’ attempts to separate the individuals and control this fluid scene were impeded by a female friend of two of the men.

An officer moved the woman away from the arrest in progress and ordered her more than once to, “Get back.” When she crowded in, the officer pushed her with moderate force. She again crowded to within a foot of the officers at work. The officer then pushed her with what appears to be an appropriate level of force to use on someone who has refused multiple commands.

At that point, the officer attempted to bring her under control. She struggled, hitting him multiple times and scratching him, leaving bruises and lacerations that required medical treatment. The videos show the officer striking the woman one time, a use of force that appears to be the minimum required to bring this person under control.

Too often today, police officers are judged by a few seconds of cellphone video that begins after critical events have already occurred. That is exactly what happened here.

Tempe police officers make tens of thousands of contacts with members of the public every year. Far more than 99% end without any use of force. Every Tempe officer understands that force is a last resort. We also understand that allowing someone to interfere with an active arrest creates unnecessary risks for officers, suspects and bystanders alike. Officers cannot simply ignore someone who repeatedly defies commands and enters the middle of a dangerous encounter.

The Tempe Officers Association is confident that when the public views the complete recordings, they will better understand why the officers responded as they did. We thank the public for viewing this incident in its full context, and for withholding judgment based on only one perspective of a rapidly moving, complicated interaction.

Robert Ferraro is president of the Tempe Officers Association. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.