Records offer insight on UF officers in shooting

Records offer insight on UF officers in shooting
Complicated picture emerges of past reviews and letters of praise.
Source: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100411/ARTICLES/4111004/1007

(Following this is another article: Details shed light on circumstances of shooting of student)

By Nathan Crabbe - Staff writer
Published: Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 5:42 p.m.

The five University of Florida police officers involved in the March 2 shooting of a student include a 17-year veteran who has trained police across the region and an officer who in his less than five years on the force was involved in incidents in which Gainesville police officers harassed and threw eggs at prostitutes and suspected drug dealers.

Related Links:Details shed light on circumstances of shooting of student Another officer, who has been on the force nearly seven years, received remedial training about a month before the shooting for handcuffing a jaywalking student to a stop sign on campus. The remaining two include a sergeant who has been with the department for more than 20 years and a detective hired in 2006 after working as a sheriff's deputy in Madison County.

The UF Police Department has been the focus of criticism and protests over the shooting of doctoral student Kofi Adu-Brempong by a department officer. Protesters and others have accused the officer who fired the shot of racism for his involvement in the egg-throwing case and suggested the department's officers lack experience and training.

A review of department records of the involved officers - Stacy Ettel, William Ledger, James Mabry, William Sasser and Keith Smith - reveals a more complicated picture. Those records include an internal investigation that found Smith, who shot Adu-Brempong, was with Gainesville police officers who threw eggs in a high-crime neighborhood of Gainesville but didn't participate.

The records of Ettel, the 17-year veteran, include letters of praise for his management of special events from everyone from athletic department officials to the governor of Louisiana. He oversaw events at the time that a UF student was Tasered at a speech by U.S. Sen. John Kerry and helped change the way that officers respond to such situations.

Sasser's records show he was involved in a few cases that resulted in review, such as the stop sign incident. He has also been in several incidents in which he used force on fleeing suspects, before the department changed policy to limit such actions.

UF law professor Kenneth Nunn said university police departments, in general, don't have the resources to require the same type of training done at municipal law enforcement agencies. In addition, he said, university departments typically attract officers who lack experience or couldn't get hired at other agencies. "It's generally well known around the country that you're looking at people who are trained less rigorously and the standards are not as high," he said.

UF Police Chief Linda Stump said her department's officers are well-trained and educated, as shown by the two-thirds of officers with college degrees - including three of the five involved in the shooting. The department oversees what amounts to a small city with large sporting events and a hospital with a trauma center, she said, but also must deal with situations unique to a university such as parents checking on the well-being of students. "We have a different business and that is to provide service to the campus community, which we do a damn good job at," she said.

As for the egg-throwing case, she said Smith was removed from a drug task force that included a Gainesville police officer involved in the incident as soon as it came to light. Stump said the investigation found Smith didn't participate and there were no racial overtones, so he was reprimanded but not suspended or removed from the department's Critical Incident Response Team. "We didn't have any reason to believe that the circumstances related to that incident had any relation to his ability to respond to an emergency situation," she said.

The shooting

Adu-Brempong, a 36-year-old doctoral student and teaching assistant in geography from Ghana, had sent e-mails accusing his fellow students of being part of a plot to kidnap and kill him before the shooting. Police responded on March 2 to reports of screaming from his apartment at UF's Corry Village graduate and family housing complex.

Ettel, the shift commander at the time, was responsible under department policy for making the decision to enter the apartment. Police reported that Ettel and Mabry were among the five officers who went inside, but reports make no mention of their actions there.

Police reported that Sasser twice tried to use a Taser on Adu-Brempong, but it was later discovered that it didn't attach. Ledger fired bean bags from a shotgun that failed to subdue Adu-Brempong. Smith then fired two shots from a rifle, at least one of which hit Adu-Brempong in the face and caused severe injuries.

The egg incident

Smith, 29, started at the department in 2005. He earned a criminology degree from UF the previous year and held security jobs at Gainesville nightclubs in college.

He received praise in his performance reviews for being motivated, including having the most arrests in the department during one year. But he received an oral reprimand in 2007 for pursuing a vehicle that did not stop at Southwest Depot Avenue and Southwest 11th Street. Department policy is to only pursue suspects in serious cases such as murders, kidnappings and robberies.

In September 2008, Smith was assigned to a joint drug task force with the Gainesville Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.

In November 2008, he would be involved in controversial incidents with a Gainesville officer on the task force, Roy "Billy" Long, along with Gainesville Officers Joshua Hinson and Brett Robison.

Smith and other officers were drinking late at night at downtown Gainesville bars before each of the three incidents, according to internal investigations by the university and Gainesville police departments.

In the first incident, investigators found that Robison yelled at a prostitute in the nearby Porter's neighborhood while Smith was in the car. The next Friday, Robison and Long yelled at prostitutes and suspected drug dealers in the neighborhood while Smith was in the car, according to the investigation.

The following night, Smith met up with Robison, Long, Hinson and others at various downtown bars. According to the Gainesville police investigation, the group drank "copious amounts of alcohol" before Long bought four cartons of eggs at a convenience store and distributed them to the occupants of Robison's truck.

Long and Hinson admitted to throwing eggs in the Porter's neighborhood, while Robison said he had two eggs but declined to say if he threw them. Smith reported that he was feeling sick from drinking and didn't throw any eggs, a story corroborated by others interviewed in the university police investigation. Shortly after the incident came to light, Smith was reassigned from the task force to the patrol division.

In February 2009, he was issued an oral reprimand over the Porter's incidents for conduct unbecoming an officer for failing to remove himself from inappropriate actions. He was not suspended or required to do additional training.

He also remained on the Critical Incident Response Team, the department's designation for officers trained to use rifles and other methods to deal with a shooter on campus.

The demands of those who have protested on campus over the shooting include Smith's indefinite unpaid suspension pending an investigation.

Some, including Justin Wooten of Students for a Democratic Society, have called for Smith to be fired. Wooten said he doesn't buy the idea that Smith wasn't culpable for the egg-throwing incident because he was extremely drunk and didn't throw anything.

"It's just ridiculous, the idea that he didn't know what was going on," he said.

Stump said the department followed procedure in addressing the incident, and that a reprimand is serious because it remains on an officer's record. While she noted that Smith didn't participate in the incidents, Stump conceded that he made bad decisions for being in situations that put law enforcement in a negative light.

"It's a shame for all of us," she said. "It's unfortunate for anyone who wears a uniform."

Use of force

Sasser, a 36-year-old officer who unsuccessfully tried to use the Taser on Adu-Brempong, started in the department in 2003. He worked previously as a corrections officer for the Florida Department of Corrections and for the Gilchrist County Sheriff's Office.

He has been involved in several use-of-force incidents with the department. In 2005, he used pepper spray on a woman who fled after being stopped on her bicycle. In 2006, he used his Taser on an underage drinker who fled after being stopped during a concert at Flavet Field. Department reviews found no violations in the incidents.

Stump said use-of-force incidents in the records of officers can merely show that these officers happened to be active and working when those situations arose. The department takes such incidents seriously, she said.

"We've tried to do the right thing through our own processes," she said.

In 2005, Sasser was suspended for two days for not turning over or reporting fake identifications confiscated from underage drinkers.

In January 2009, he was off campus and returning with another officer from bringing their department motorcycles to be serviced when they stopped a car in which the occupants were reportedly acting suspiciously.

The passenger fled, leading Sasser to chase and use a Taser on him after he fell over a fence. The incident was investigated over whether department policy allowed Sasser to make such a stop outside campus, whether he should have pursued the suspect and whether he should have used the Taser. No violations were found.

In March 2009, the UF Police Department changed its policy to limit the use of Tasers on fleeing suspects unless they pose a physical threat. Stump said the change was based on a report that the U.S. Department of Justice made to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, which recommended that Tasers only be used on fleeing suspects in the most serious cases.

This February, Sasser received remedial training for handcuffing a pedestrian to a stop sign. Sasser was directing traffic at Newell Drive and Union Road when a man did not obey his commands to stay on the sidewalk, according to a report on the training.

The report said that Sasser decided to handcuff the man to a stop sign and return to directing traffic until another officer could be summoned to help. An internal investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to the department.

Sasser referenced the incident on his Facebook page, a post that has since been removed or blocked from public view.

"Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Although you have to face the music tommorrow (sic)," he wrote.

Ettel, 40, gave the order to enter the apartment. He started at the University Police Department in 1993, being promoted to sergeant in three years and lieutenant in 2006. He earned a criminal justice degree from St. Leo University in 2008.

He has worked on the side as an instructor at the police academy and community colleges in Gainesville, Lake City and Madison, becoming a certified criminal justice instructor in areas such as firearms and defensive tactics. One course that he instructs, called verbal judo, teaches the use of verbal skills to defuse crisis situations. He has also conducted training in dealing with a shooter.

"I think Stacy Ettel's background and his training and the experience that he has are proof solid of his ability to handle crisis situations," Stump said.

Ettel managed special events, including football games for two years, escorting Florida football coach Urban Meyer from the field following games. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal sent a letter expressing appreciation for his work during a visit at a 2008 game.

Ettel was in charge of special events during the Tasering of student Andrew Meyer at a 2007 speech by Kerry in 2007, which received national attention for a video of Meyer saying, "Don't Tase me, bro."

Ettel worked afterward with the group that investigated the incident, helping develop changes in response.

The policy now requires a tiered level of response in university events, with university staff and officials dealing with such incidents before officers are involved. Stump said Ettel speaks nationally because of his experience in special events and crisis situations. "He's had extensive training and experience in these areas - probably more than anybody that I personally know," she said.

Ledger, 44, fired the bean bags. He started at the department in 1988. He served in a variety of capacities, being promoted to sergeant in 1994.

He was praised in 2008 for ordering officers to enter a Corry Village apartment during a possible suicide. Officers found the resident wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse. Ledger helped administer CPR. The actions were credited with saving the resident's life.

Mabry, who entered the apartment but whose actions were not noted, is a 28-year-old detective. He earned a criminology degree at Florida State University and worked as a deputy for nearly two years with the Madison County Sheriff's Office. He was hired at the UF department in 2006.

Following procedure

Stump said the fact that the group included several officers who worked their way through the department ranks shows that they are well-respected.

"Obviously these are the people we've chosen to promote," she said.

Stump said the officers' records show that the department follows procedure in dealing with the use of force or allegations of misconduct.

"I hope people look at us and say, 'They're not afraid to address situations that need addressing,' " she said.

But critics such as Nunn, the UF law professor, are calling for an independent board to review the department. He said some of its problems are inherent to university police forces and the officers they attract.

"If you really want to do police work, you don't sign up to be a campus police officer," he said.

Contact Nathan Crabbe at 338-3176 or nathan.crabbe@gvillesun.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Details shed light on circumstances of shooting of student

UF doctoral student Kofi Adu-Brempong's account differs from that of police.
Source: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100411/ARTICLES/4111005/1002?p=all&tc=pgall

By Nathan Crabbe - Staff writer
Published: Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 5:42 p.m.

In the weeks since the shooting of a University of Florida student by a campus police officer, information has slowly come to light about the events surrounding the incident.

Related Links:Records offer insight on UF officers in shooting Those details have shed some light on why the situation was addressed more like a police threat than a mental-health crisis. But discrepancies remain about the events leading up to the shooting, with some information being withheld as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement continues to investigate.

UF doctoral student Kofi Adu-Brempong had sent e-mail messages the day before the shooting, accusing fellow students of being part of a plot to kidnap and kill him.

UF police responded that day to Adu-Brempong's apartment at the Corry Village graduate and family housing complex and brought a crisis counselor to the scene, according to a police report.

Some mental health experts have questioned why the Baker Act, which allows the mentally ill to be involuntarily committed for evaluation, wasn't invoked at the time. But Wayne Griffin, associate director of UF's counseling center, said that the counselor was unable to engage in an extended conversation with Adu-Brempong. "We can't make people talk if they don't want to," he said.

Police returned the next day after a 911 call about screaming coming from Adu-Brempong's apartment. While police have withheld the tape from the call pending the completion of the investigation, UF Police Chief Linda Stump said the call was from a woman who was scared enough about the screaming that she left her apartment.

Stump also noted that Adu-Brempong was reported to have shouted that he was going to shoot police when officers arrived.

"To suggest that that shouldn't heighten our awareness and heighten our response is really irresponsible," she said.

Stump declined to comment on specific decisions made at the scene, saying she didn't want to interfere with the investigation. Police reports provide some information about the events leading up to the shooting, but witnesses and Adu-Brempong provide a somewhat different story.

Adu-Brempong had a childhood case of polio and uses a cane to walk, so protesters have questioned police accounts that he posed a threat to them. Adu-Brempong, who gave an interview to The Sun from his hospital bed last month, said police are lying in their description of the incident.

He said he told police that he was OK and to go away, but that they entered his apartment anyway. "They didn't listen, they came in shooting," he said.

One of Adu-Brempong's neighbors, Dyrana Russell, videotaped the scene from her nearby apartment. The tape has been turned over to the State Attorney's Office and FDLE, which have declined to release copies before the investigation is finished.

Russell said she started observing the scene after police had arrived and that she saw someone who appeared to be a professor speaking with Adu-Brempong. Police reported that Peter Waylen, a geography department chairman and professor who oversaw Adu-Brempong, came to the scene to talk with him.

Russell said that the man pleaded with police for more time to talk but that they entered the apartment several minutes later. She said it was difficult to hear what Adu-Brempong was saying, but at one point she said he could be heard shouting "I'm OK, I'm OK."

Police reported that they found Adu-Brempong sitting on the floor with a knife in his lap - an account that he disputes, saying he was sitting there with his Bible. Police reported that Officer William Sasser tried to use a Taser on Adu-Brempong but that it failed to attach.

Russell said that over the course of several seconds there were five "banging sounds" - with the last two sounding different from the others. That account corresponds with police reports that Sgt. William Ledger fired bean bags from a shotgun at Adu-Brempong before Officer Keith Smith fired two shots from a rifle.

Police reported that Adu-Brempong stood up with a metal rod in his hand, at which time police fired the bean bags from 3 to 4 feet away. Adu-Brempong said he picked up a metal rod from a broken computer desk when shots started being fired at him, but he said he was unable to say whether the shots were the bean bags or shots from the rifle.

Adu-Brempong said officers did not tell him to put up his hands, and he questioned why they ended up shooting him.

Police reported that Adu-Brempong held the rod above his head in an attempt to strike Ledger, at which time Smith shot him in the face.

UF police filed charges of aggravated assault on an officer and resisting an officer with violence against Adu-Brempong, charges that his attorney and protesters are seeking to get dropped.

Although Stump declined to talk about the specifics of the shooting, she said it was a "horrible situation for all sides involved.

"I can't think of anything more important than the possibility of taking someone's life," she said.

Contact Nathan Crabbe at 338-3176 or nathan.crabbe@gvillesun.com.