Officials Won’t Name Hoover Officer Involved in Shooting. Why Not?

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2018/12/Bradford_Funeral-scaled.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:6:{s:5:"width";i:2560;s:6:"height";i:1439;s:4:"file";s:35:"2018/12/Bradford_Funeral-scaled.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:14:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Bradford_Funeral-336x189.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:189;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Bradford_Funeral-771x433.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:433;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Bradford_Funeral-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Bradford_Funeral-768x432.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:432;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:29:"Bradford_Funeral-1536x863.jpg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:863;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"2048x2048";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:30:"Bradford_Funeral-2048x1151.jpg";s:5:"width";i:2048;s:6:"height";i:1151;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"Bradford_Funeral-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Bradford_Funeral-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Bradford_Funeral-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Bradford_Funeral-553x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:553;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Bradford_Funeral-470x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Bradford_Funeral-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Bradford_Funeral-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Bradford_Funeral-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}s:14:"original_image";s:20:"Bradford_Funeral.jpg";}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Andrew Yeager
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] =>  WBHM
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1665300003 
1549536658

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.

 

At the Supreme Court, the case of the candidate who sued, even though he won

At issue was a suit by Rep. Michael Bost, R-Ill., challenging an Illinois regulation that allows ballots mailed in by Election Day to be counted for up to 14 days after polls close.

Israel and Hamas agree on the ‘first phase’ of Gaza ceasefire deal

The deal raises the possibility that the war may now be over, ending the bloodiest fighting ever between Israelis and Palestinians.

After Spain’s blackout, critics blamed renewable energy. It’s part of a bigger attack

When millions lost power in Spain and Portugal this spring, some were quick to blame too much solar and wind power. That wasn't the cause, but the misinformation had an impact.

‘Fairyland’ recalls a girl’s life with her poet father in pre-AIDS San Francisco

Alysia Abbott's memoir about growing up in 1970s San Francisco with her gay, single father, has been adapted into a film directed by Andrew Durham and produced by Sofia Coppola.

Los Angeles: Spaghetti Cumbia, a band born from cultural fusion

Photographers and storytellers Karla Gachet and Ivan Kashinsky document cumbia music in Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and the United States.

What are your holiday shopping plans? NPR wants to hear from you

Is this the season of cutbacks or splurges? As we prepare to cover holiday shopping and deals, NPR wants to hear from you, whatever your plans may be.

More Crime Coverage