Officer fired for throwing student in arrest

‘He went too far … not a proper technique’

COLUMBIA, SC, Oct 29 (RTRS): The white sheriff’s deputy who is under federal investigation after he was caught on video flipping a black high school student out of her classroom chair in South Carolina was fired on Wednesday for violating department policy.

Deputy Ben Fields went too far when he picked up the 16-year-old and hurtled her across a classroom before arresting her, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told a news conference.

“That is not a proper technique and should not be used by law enforcement,” Lott said.

Civil rights groups and several elected officials applauded the officer’s dismissal, which came two days after videos by students at Spring Valley High School in Columbia recorded his rough handling of the teenager who Lott said had refused educators’ orders to put away her phone and leave the class.

The videos quickly went viral, reigniting concerns that the prolifer- ation of police in US schools can criminalize behavior once handled more quietly by school officials.

A civil rights probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department into the arrest is under way and the state law enforcement division also is investigating. Some activists are calling for Fields, 34, to be criminally charged.

The sheriff said the student, arrested on a charge of disturbing school, also should be held accountable. The girl hit the officer as he tried to remove her from the class, Lott said.

“She was very disruptive, she was very disrespectful and she started this whole incident with her actions,” the sheriff said.

Fields, who had worked for the sheriff’s office since 2004 and joined its school resource officer program in 2008, has not commented. His attorney released a statement on Wednesday defending his actions.

“We believe that Mr. Fields’ actions were justified and lawful throughout the circumstances of which he was confronted during this incident,” attorney Scott J. Hayes said in the statement, according to local media reports.

It noted that Fields declined to speak about what happened at this time, as the case remains under federal investigation.

Some students said they called the deputy “Officer Slam” for his aggressive tactics. A federal lawsuit accusing him of targeting African-American students with false allegations of gang membership is set for trial in January.

The sheriff’s office has not released Fields’ personnel record. Lott said none of the past complaints against him came from the school district, where the sheriff noted he was respected as a school resource officer. An elementary school where he is also assigned gave him a “Culture of Excellence Award” last year.