Acting Commissioner of Police McDonald Jacob faced his first major firestorm of public criticism since being appointed to lead the organisation last December after buying the police version of the fatal shooting of an officer in Diego Martin on April 22, hook, line and sinker.
To his credit, Jacob, at the first opportunity, acknowledged that he was wrong to conclude PC Clarence Gilkes was shot through the neck from in front after an autopsy proved the bullet entered from behind.
While he opted not to comment further on the issue pending the outcome of the investigation into the incident being done by both the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) and the Homicide Bureau, Jacob in an interview with Sunday Newsday agreed with the use of body cameras by police could help resolve opposing versions in the future.
Rich Plain residents, as well as Jehlano Romney, the man who was first identified as the main suspect in Gilkes' killing and is now assisting investigators, claimed the officer was shot by his colleagues. Romney claims the police wanted him dead because he filed a lawsuit over police harassment.
Jacob said on the contrary the police "only recently received 1,100 body cameras" which will be distributed to frontline officers such as those in the divisional task forces, the Emergency Response Patrols and the Traffic and Highway units.
He said within "two to three months" over 1,000 officers will be trained and the technical aspects, which include installing docking systems at police stations for recharging equipment and downloading data, networks to connect to divisional command centres and the final approval of a revised departmental order which governs its use, will be complete. Once approved, officers who fail to comply with the proper use, tamper with the cameras, or fail to switch them on, could face disciplinary action.
A copy of the departmental order, now under review by a committee appointed by Jacob, states that the body-worn cameras will serve as a check against abuse by police and alternatively as protection of officers from false accusations by the public.
Jacob said before the recent shipment of body cameras, the service had 160 which were shared between officers of the now-defunct Special Operations Response Team and some officers assigned to divisional task forces. Commenting generally on the issue, PCA director David West said, "When an incident occurs, I think decision-makers and persons in authority should await all facts before making a definitive judgement and a public declaration on what transpired.
[caption id="attachment_952313" align="alignnone" width="806"] Director of the Police Complaints Authority David West. -[/caption]
"It is prudent to await the outcome of an independent investigation before making any statements or pronouncements in the public domain. This impartiality would give the public a sense of confidence in the investigative process, knowing that the person(s) in authority will make a proper unbiased evaluation prior to making any judgments."
Former commis
