Officials Won’t Name Hoover Officer Involved in Shooting. Why Not?
Officials still have not released the name of the police officer who shot and killed a 21-year-old black man Thanksgiving night at the Riverchase Galleria mall in Hoover. A report from the Alabama attorney general’s office Tuesday cleared the officer of any criminal wrongdoing when he shot Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr. He thought Bradford was the gunman in an active shooter situation.
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said at a press conference Tuesday withholding the officer’s identity is about fairness.
“Just as any other private citizen that is investigated and found not to have committed a crime their name is not released,” Brocato says. “That’s the same procedure that we will follow with this officer.”
That’s in line with the position of Attorney General Steve Marshall, who says there’s no value in the public knowing who shot Bradford.
But we do know Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. And Timothy Loehmann was identified as the officer who shot and killed Tamir Rice. Neither of them were criminally charged. Why the difference?
Stephen Rushin, who teaches police accountability at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, says policies vary widely among departments, but it’s not uncommon for police to withhold an officer’s name in situations like this. Rushin says police unions typically push for non-disclosure to protect officers.
Rushin says an officer’s reputation is a concern but there is value in releasing a name because it’s not just about criminal charges.
“Is this the kind of behavior we want officers to be engaged in? Did it violate internal policy? And did the officer receive some sort of punishment in response to the behavior that they engaged in?” Rushin says.
He says without some kind of citizen oversight, you’re basically trusting the police to police themselves.
Kami Chavis, a former assistant US attorney now at Wake Forest University law school, is shocked law enforcement hasn’t released the officer’s name. She says private individuals are not the same as police officers.
“They are empowered to use force and authorized to use force during the normal course of their duties and many times that is appropriate,” Chavis says.
But she says not releasing a name can make police departments look like they’re hiding something which undermines public trust. Chavis adds officer names often come out anyway, for instance, through a civil lawsuit. An attorney for the Bradford family says they plan to file a civil lawsuit.
United Nations nuclear agency again condemns Iran for failing to fully cooperate
The resolution comes after the agency said Iran has defied demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
Alabama carries out nation’s 3rd nitrogen gas execution
An Alabama man convicted in the 1994 killing of a hitchhiker cursed at the prison warden shortly before he was put to death Thursday evening in the nation's third execution using nitrogen gas.
Trump names former Florida AG Pam Bondi as his new pick for U.S. attorney general
After former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration, President-elect Donald Trump named Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his next pick for U.S. attorney general.
Police report gives details, timeline of the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth
The woman who accused then-Fox News host of sexual assault in 2017 said that she "remembered saying 'no' a lot," according to a police report. Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense.
Alabama Black Belt’s sewer crisis a tougher fix for residents in manufactured homes
Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging.
In Birmingham, Black men’s groups work to save young men from the cycle of gun violence
As the city inches closer to its homicide record, community members are trying to address a sense of fatalism and lack of opportunity felt by some young men.
