Celebrating Peace Officers Memorial Day
It’s a bit ironic that Peace Officers Memorial Day is set to be celebrated today at Poncitlán Square. To be clear, it’s not ironic that it’s being celebrated — no, that’s a good thing. It’s a time to pay tribute to the local, state and federal peace officers who have died or been disabled while in the line of duty.
The irony comes in the fact that a drug arrest on April 30 spurred a protest during which a small group of people called for the cancellation of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s contracts with the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, just 10 days before the Peace Officers Memorial Day celebration.
Had things gone differently during the arrest, another peace officer’s name might have been added to the local list.
The April 30 incident involved a suspected drug dealer, who ran after seeing deputies. He was chased by Lancaster Station deputies and was detained after a short foot chase, when he saw the deputy near a gas station. He stopped and laid on the ground, knowing the chase was over.
No one was shot or injured, but the deputy’s tactics are being questioned. He is seen in a video with the suspect, Kennathan Williams, who is laying face-down on the ground. The deputy’s knee is across Williams’s back and his service weapon is aimed at Williams’s head.
Activist Brian Johnson told CBS2 that it was very reminiscent of George Floyd. He also said he felt that at any moment the man on top of Williams could have easily pulled the trigger.
Yes, he could have easily pulled the trigger, but he did not. Let’s not forget that he did not. Let’s also not forget that Williams was armed and had ammunition on him, as well. At any point during the chase, he could have pulled his weapon and fired at the deputy. He also did not.
Williams wasn’t out for a leisurely stroll amongst the poppies on a nice April day. He was engaging in what the deputy thought was a drug deal and when he saw the deputy, he ran.
We don’t know if he was, in fact, engaged in a drug deal, but why run if you’re not guilty? Was it a “just in case” situation? Was he afraid that he’d be harassed because he’s a Black man? We’re not sure what the motivation was.
What we do know is that once he was detained, he was arrested, seemingly without further incident.
That doesn’t mean the deputy’s tactics were in line with proper protocol. The Sheriff’s Department said in a statement, “the tactics used during the arrest of the suspect are not taught by LASD and will be reviewed.”
We’re not sure to which tactics they are referring. Was it the knee across Williams’s back or the fact that a gun was pointed closely at his head? It seems it would be both, with the gun being aimed at his head seemingly unnecessary, especially since he doesn’t appear to be resisting.
A peace officer’s work is not easy and in the heat of the moment, they must rely on their training to get them through dangerous situations.
Not all officers use the training properly and that’s when lethal situations occur.
But we must also remember that criminals sometimes don’t care what tactics they use to escape police. There are plenty of peace officers in the Valley — and nation — that have lost their lives trying to protect and serve, that’s the reason Peace Officers Memorial Day exists.