Two recent cases involving law enforcement officers call for transparency in how they are handled. High-profile cases involving officers across the nation the last few years have put a focus on the conduct of law enforcement.
While the two cases in North Dakota don’t match the intensity of a number of controversial national incidents, they do call for full disclosure.
Bismarck police officer Mark Muscha was captured on video using harsh language with a long boarder, Seth Voegele, he had stopped. It was by no means a major violation and it’s unfortunate it escalated to the point where Muscha’s behavior became inappropriate. He was possibly pushed into his overreaction.
Still, he got out of line and for that he received a verbal reprimand. Overall, the police department was open about its internal review of the case. Since there was a home security video of the incident there was a way to judge the officer’s conduct. It’s the type of situation in which police body cameras would be useful, but Bismarck police don’t have the cameras.
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The Tribune editorial board is disappointed that Muscha received a verbal reprimand and not a written reprimand placed in his personnel file. Muscha had “no prior issues” with the department, but a verbal punishment can be forgotten over time.
It’s important that officers realize their conduct has consequences. It’s a tough job and officers often take a lot of abuse. They are trained to maintain their composure in stressful situations. The public should expect nothing less.
The second law enforcement review involves a much more serious outcome. North Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper Steven Mayer shot and killed Craig Knutson of Billings, Montana, after a chase involving the patrol and Morton County deputies. Reportedly a gun was found in Knutson’s vehicle.
The shooting is being investigated by the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation and will be reviewed by the Morton County State’s Attorney's Office. Mayer is on paid administrative leave, the normal procedure in these investigations.
Why Knutson didn’t stop, what prompted the shooting and other details haven’t been released. BCI usually doesn’t release information about its investigations until they are completed. Mayer’s name was just made public and that’s an important step. In shooting cases the community needs to know the name of the officer involved.
When the BCI completes the investigation, all the findings need to be disclosed. It benefits law enforcement to be transparent. For the public to retain confidence in law enforcement it needs all the facts. If the BCI decides Mayer’s actions were justified, it should disclose how it came to its decision.
Officers today live under a microscope. Just about everyone has the ability to video encounters with law enforcement on their phones. We ask a lot of officers and sometimes they must endure tremendous abuse.
Transparency helps law enforcement maintain the respect of the community. The public will still accept them if they admit mistakes. That’s not true if they put up a blue wall and hide errors.
Fortunately, in both the Bismarck and Morton cases, law enforcement appears to be taking the proper steps. That’s all we can ask of them.