The Pennsylvania State Police don’t believe they should be subject to anyone else’s interpretation of how they do their job.
State Police Commissioner Robert Evanchick responded to a recommendation from the Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Advisory Commission that an outside agency investigate when deaths or injuries caused by a state police action occur.
”Every officer-involved shooting or other serious police incident involving a member is thoroughly investigated, both criminally and administratively,” he wrote.
The response is not really unexpected. The commission’s recommendation came on the heels of not only a push for police reform in the wake of the 2020 death of George Floyd but also following a 2016 incident in Butler County in which state police consulted with a local district attorney about the legality of deadly force. That action later was deemed justified by the DA based on the state police’s own investigation.
It is understandable that Evanchick would want to stand in defense of the troopers he leads. Police depend upon each other in a way few jobs require. Having each other’s backs is crucial to not only success but also sometimes survival.
But Evanchick should consider that opening the investigations to an outside, independent agency is the best way to protect his troopers.
Police are frequently put in harm’s way in the most innocuous situations. In 2020, a state trooper was shot during a traffic stop in Franklin County. In 2016, Trooper Landon Weaver of Blair County was shot fatally while responding to a protection from abuse violation in Huntingdon County.
A designated outside investigation could save the state police from being accused of protecting their own. It also could serve to protect the trooper in question from being tarred with accusations that could affect or end a career. And should those charges be found to be credible, the state police are able to correct the problem and protect the community.
It is also the kind of thing most other government agencies must accept, even if they don’t carry weapons. State legislators can be investigated by police, and an ethics investigation by their peers doesn’t preclude that. The same goes for district attorneys who might face the loss of their license to practice because of a bar inquiry, but that does not stop a simultaneous investigation by the Attorney General’s office. In fact, a crime by one person in a DA’s office would necessitate recusal in favor of the AG’s office handling the case.
These recommendations are a way to protect every police officer who does the job with respect, integrity and an adherence to the law. Evanchick should concede that.
— Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (TNS)
