CHESAPEAKE
The city will hire an independent consultant to review the Police Department's procedures, policies and staffing levels, City Manager William Harrell announced Tuesday.
Harrell's decision comes less than two weeks after Chesapeake Detective Jarrod Shivers was shot and killed while executing a drug search warrant on a home in the city's Portlock section.
However, Harrell and other city leaders would not specifically say the review was brought on by Shivers' death and questions surrounding the incident.
"This is not an investigation, but an operational review," Harrell said.
Harrell and retiring police Chief Richard Justice would not answer questions about Shivers and the man charged with killing him Jan. 17, Ryan Frederick. Justice said the commonwealth attorney's office is examining the case but added that an outside review is an option if city officials aren't satisfied with the state attorney's conclusion.
The consultant will focus not on a single case but on the department's operating and administrative procedures, policies and training, city documents say. It will look at staffing levels "in light of the growth of the city," according to the documents. And it will review how the Police Department responds to media, trains its employees, and handles citizen complaints.
Some City Council members insisted that the timing of the review has more to do with Justice's retirement in April and less to do with recent events such as Shivers' death. "This is much more global than any specific incident," Councilwoman Rebecca Adams said.
Still, the search warrant execution has drawn some critics after Frederick told reporters he had no idea Shivers and other police officers were outside his Redstart Avenue home when he got out of bed and grabbed a gun. Police said they clearly announced their presence and were wearing marked helmets. Frederick said someone had broken into his garage just days before the shooting and that he was trying to protect himself.
Harrell said he hopes the city will have a consultant on board within 30 days and that it will look for guidance from groups such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the International City/County Management Association. He said he would like to see a consultant's full report within 120 days.
"We want it to be done comprehensively and executed to perfection," said Harrell, who added that policy changes could be made sooner than 120 days if that is what's needed.
At a news conference Tuesday at City Hall, the city manager was flanked by Vice Mayor Dwight Parker and council members Adams, C.E. "Cliff" Hayes Jr., and Alan Krasnoff.
Harrell made it clear that the review was his decision. Justice said he found about the consultant on Monday and that he welcomed the review. Harrell said he was driven to act in part by the deaths of Shivers and Chesapeake Officer Michael Saffran, who was killed in 2005 while responding to a bank robbery.
"The city of Chesapeake has tragically lost two officers in the line of duty in little over two years," Harrell said. Losing two officers was "certainly too many," he said.
Reporters pressed Justice on whether the department had already changed policies on conducting search warrants. It has not, he said. The chief also wouldn't answer how much marijuana police say they discovered in Frederick's home the night Shivers was killed.
Justice said police would wait for all of the facts before evaluating officers' actions that night.
"To say we're going to second-guess what occurred would be premature," he said.
In an interview after the press conference, Justice admitted he hopes that the independent review results in recognizing the need for more officers on the street. "I am certain that will be a factor they see," he said.
"We're asked to do more with less, and we do," he said.
Mike Saewitz (757) 222-5207, mike.saewitz@pilotonline.com
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More Officers Are Needed
Every city would like more officers, and in this day and time no question they are probably needed. Sometimes one has to bite the bullet and restructure a bit. Re-allocate resources. Maybe instead of having large groups of officers, such as staff members attending functions such as lunch, take turns going to have some free to take care of city matters. Instead of getting police cars washed on city time, keep the officers on the street and let them clean their cars when off work. After all the cars are given to be used anytime. Free gas , free vehicle. You would think someone wouldn't mind washing it on their time. How many business people that have company cars leave their office to go wash their company car when things are popping around the office? Make it an option. If you wnat the car, this is what you have to do. I think too if the manager looks at the number of officers in the command staff, he will see that CPD is a very top heavy organization with positions that don't exist in other departments.
Nice comment
"You are quick to put us down but don't mind dialing 911 when you have created a situation that has gotten out of control and you end up getting an A** Whipping and then want the police to help you out. Next time you think of calling us, suck it up and deal with your own problems because we have other things to do like help out those who honestly need us." As a cop, did you just authorize me to shoot an intruder? Is that what I'm reading here?
Wrong Place For Conference and Long Overdue!
This type of news conference should have been held in the South Norfolk area, where crime has risen on this current City Councils watch. Until we have a City Council that is spending our money on essential infrastructure, instead of pet development projects, the crime in our city will continue to rise. We must fund our police and fire departments completly and stop nickel and diming the safety of citizens for the sake of subsidizing unneeded development projects. Every incumbent up for re-election should be voted out of office. Things will never change if you keep the same people in City Hall. Look back at the previous election, I kept all the advertisements, believe me, what they promised, lower property taxes and less crime has not come true 4 years later. These incumbents have been on council 4,8,12 years. What have they done, to improve your quality of life? Clean Sweep City Hall in May'08. Change is Great in 2008! They have had more than enough time to set Chesapeake in the right direction. They have failed us.
Wa1rus91
Very well said. My thoughts exactly.
correction
tragic and AVOIDABLE
typo in post below
This isn't about bashing Mr. Shivers
I think we all feel for his family and believe his death was tragic and unavoidable. The question is with police procedure and what maniac came up with this plan to bust into a home in the night over a tip that there might be marijuana plants growing there. The man protected himself and I would have done the same in his position. As a law-abiding citizen who has never done drugs, doesn't speed, pays taxes, etc, etc, I do NOT trust the police. I haven't been in this poor man's situation but I have been wronged by the police myself. I have also seen plenty of other injustices locally due to poor police decisions, morals, and general behavior. I won't assume ALL police are the bad guys but there are enough of them to make me question every single officer I encounter. Mr. Shivers was probably doing his job as instructed but he was instructed by a fool and now two families are suffering.
BW Why are you mad..
...at the police for not enforcing something that they have no jurisdiction of? Just like civilian police can't enforce laws on a military installation and vice versa. You're blaming the police when you should be blaming the legislation for making the law in the first place.
Mr. V296
Mr. V296,
I think everyone commenting on this article feels great sympathy for the Shiver's family for their loss. However you should take note that more and more typical, law-abiding people are becoming distrustful of the police. I have relatives on the police force in another part of Virginia, yet I am apprehensive about the way the local police departments conduct their business. As citizens we have the right to examine how the police are acting and the right to question their actions when they aren't congruous with the laws or the Constitution. I'm sure that most of the police are sincere, upright citizens doing their part to keep us all safe, however there are enough questionable acts by the police to make them suspect in the eyes of much of the public.
As you are a police officer, I would think that you would welcome some analysis of police procedures to better ensure your safety and those of your fellow citizens. It doesn't take a SWAT team to arrest a guy who could have been met on his front yard when he came home from work. If us simple civilians can see that, why can't the police? Take note at the comments on this article and related articles. If the police come cra
Going on for a long time.
Once I lived on Commerce St. In South Norfolk with two friends. I worked for the City, one was a tug boat operator and one was a deck hand. We worked hard and bothered no one. One night the CPD came storming through our door with a search warrant for drugs. It seems that 2 kids living down the street did too many drugs and had to be rushed to the hospital. The father of the kids JUST ASSUMED that the hippy looking guys down the street were to blame and called the police. We did not know these folks or had any contact with them ever and for certain we were not giving children any drugs. But because of a false tip there they were. In my house tearing up everything and because they could not find any drugs they looked even harder and tore up more stuff. They even ripped our refrigerator open looking for what was never there. Our neighbors were all outside wondering what was going on and looking at us like we were criminals and we had done nothing. When they left we didn't get a " Sorry Man " or anything. This happened in the 70's and I guess it is still going on. Too bad someone had to die because of these old procedures.
Mr V296
I agree that some of the comments have been disgusting. We should not wish harm to police officers and we should honor Det Shivers and his family's sacrifice. Asking hard questions of police and city leadership is one way to honor Shivers. Change one of many factors in this tragic event and Det Shivers is alive today. To question whether or not the warrant could have been served in a different manner does not tear down the police or Det Shivers service, but opens a dialogue as to how the community can better support the police department as they serve the community. If it turns out that there were some gaps in information in the investigation, flawed tactics or a lack of staffing to conduct a more thorough investigation, the community needs to hear about it. The consultant is a step in the right direction, but will do little without more action from the community as well as willingness by the police to discuss capability gaps or other problems.
Citizens complaints
And how the Police Dept handles them. This is a concern of mine. I have been dealing with the Police dept for some 10 years, over noise complaints regarding a Shopping Center in my back yard. Our Police dept has told me to get ear plugs, to move, they don`t hear any noise, the noise ordinance codes do not apply to a business, and so on! My lastest complaint at 6 am on a Saturday morning a few weeks ago. There is nothing the Police dept can do over the noise complaint, the Shopping Center is a business and pays taxes, therefore we cannot respond to your complaint. What a way to treat a citizen ! Hey, last time I looked at my check book, I also pay my fair share of taxes. But I have no rights, and a business can do whatever they want day or night. This entire City needs to be investigated! When will some one take a stand for the Citizens and help us?
Law, Population and Marijuana
Amsterdam -2.2 million people. Murder rate is 0.0111538 per 1,000 people.
City of Chesepeake, VA- app. 220,000. "South Norfolk" has had 177 shootings in what time span? Amsterdam has de-criminalized pot and you can own, buy or have possesion of 1.5oz for personal use. I bet there is a detective going home to his family in Amsterdam, as well as a young man getting up at 4am to go to work. Try enforcing immigration! The money you spend on a "consultant" could rent a small jet, fill it with illegal immigrants in Chesapeake and fly it to Mexico and kick them out. Now there's police work! I would love to see a group of politicians and law enforcement, specifically from this area and state do this. Go ahead, grow some..or did you just take those "nutz" off your truck!
Consider the Options
Using a one time analyst to review your police department or any other department polices (since there has been several infortunate events lately) is a very narrow attempt to correct any situations that might need correcting.
Like many other municipalities we should have a citizen over sight board/committee to maintain continunity with the neighborhoods, day to day events and continual observance of police operations.
Like so many departments the CPD seems to have become remote from the very community it has been hired to "serve and protect" and from what I have observed seems to be in conflict in some instances with the citizens, under duress due to poor support towards funding, overworked, underpaid and possibility in need of an attitude change concerning who they are here to serve and protect.
regardless of what has occurred in the past several years (the shooting ot the 17 year old boy, the tragic loss of two officers, the home invasion on stalhan rd.....) a one time attempt to resolve any issues (if they exist) will not help the CPD or the citizens.
What may help is the monies spent on apartment communities and other pet projects could be redirected to more police,
Officer Shivers
I'm an so disgusted with some of the comments I've been reading. First, lets show some respect for his family. A family has been devastated by all of this. Some of you want to criticize CPD for this tragedy. I've been a LEO for over 20 years and have been shot at while trying to protect my community and earn a honest living for my family. I am fortunate that my shooters were bad enough to miss me when they shot at me. Some of you have no idea what it is like to put on all that gear every day knowing it might be your last. Stop putting down Leo's, because those of you who do are probably the ones who call us all the time. You are quick to put us down but don't mind dialing 911 when you have created a situation that has gotten out of control and you end up getting an A** Whipping and then want the police to help you out. Next time you think of calling us, suck it up and deal with your own problems because we have other things to do like help out those who honestly need us.
VB Police
The VB police are also out of hand. They have a holier than thou attitude. Yes. I was stopped by a VB police officer for crossing the center line while I was reaching for something I dropped. I did't see her warning light. The officer was very rude, and said I should have been paying attention; the reasoning was that I should be looking in my rear view mirror. The officer went back to the cruiser and retured with two tickets; one for crossing the center line which I did not dispute, and another for speeding. I could not have been speeding because I was on a slow two lane road with four cars in front of me. I guess the officer felt that she was going to get justice and some blood with it.
Chesapeake
Well alot of good comments were posted here.
First and foremost I must say I feel horrible for Officer Shivers family as well the "offender"...
First, a CI told them he had a house full of a pot operation on and on.I find it odd that a kid whom DID have pot in the house and used it for himself , has never gotten in trouble prior.But then he shoots a officer?
Then you have the fact he gets up at 4am to work daily and was in bed, to have his door coming down.What would most people do when your dogs are going nuts and you see the panels of your door caving in? REACT...
First thing that caught me as odd, it took how many days to "release" the search of the home? Then they did 2 searches.
I lived in Florida for years and it takes alot for Miami Dade, or Broward to come thru your door.Even then its a known fact something is dangerous...There was a keyword in there.KNOWN...
Granted the hoilday was upon us when this all happened but how long did it take for anyone to obtain the warrant and it to be "shown"? Since it should and is a matter of public record.... How long did it take for this guy to get an attorney?
Alot of things in this are being kept way too quiet...
cjgrad
I've done that. I've called the police regarding police officers running redlights, speeding, and otherwise driving like maniacs. They don't care. You get sent in circles talking to different people and eventually you don't know where the cop is anymore anyway. For the record, I am a law-abiding citizen with a fantastic driving record and I was pulled over in Virginia Beach while going the speed limit, and given a ticket for speeding. I went to court to fight it and lost. That day I lost the last of the faith I had in the police department and our justice system as a whole. Don't rely on a cop. They aren't there when you need them and they sure will jump on an opportunity to cheat you.
Experts
Wow! This is good stuff. It ranks right up there with the second shooter on the grassy knoll, and the Princess Diana murder conspiracy. They can just get all the answers from some of the "expert" consultants on this forum!
true??
A recent posting claims the CPD is/was short 50 officers. Why in a period of record gross tax receipts for the city(due to real estate values) would this occur? The city is absolutely "drunk" with revenue. Knowing that the 50 would be entry level officers available for routine "beat work" and the majority of them would be on that "power shift" obviously has left the department seriously undermanned. The question needs to be asked....why during periods of understaffing are low priority (non violent) crimes being pursued??
police review
Where does the public come in? I think there is some stupidity in effect here.Most cities have a citizen and police board in effect year around.
I have wondered why so many police shooting people, and getting shot that there was no board here.
You do not need to spend money as most boards are voluntary.
Are you really living in the 21t century Virginia?
Seems as if my adopted home needs to look at other cities.
review should be done by DCJS
I got news for most of you for every law enforcment department you will find issue and if you werent speeding you wouldnt get pulled and if you see and officer doing somthing they arent supposed to HELLO cellphone camera and contact that department! I did that with Portsmouth and let me tell you I caught a few doing things they werent supposed to. . This investigation should be done by the very folks that certify the department . The Department of Criminal Justice Services not someone that is local. Should be someone that has to look outside of the box.
If you think that our departments are bad ... live up north where in some cities the response time is OVER 30 min or the cops dont have new technology or cops walk right past things because " they were bought out"
THEN judge the departments around here.
Good points adamc, rob maz and jamiegumm!
Top their comments off with. If over reaction on the CPDs part would not have been done, the Detective would still be alive. In recent years I have heard about arrogance and over assertive police from several people that have never been in trouble before. These peoples experiences were from traffic stops. None of them resulted in any major incident but the people I know told me about the remarks and attitudes of the police. Fact is, this incident should have never happened and if CPD would have done a little observing before going in like storm troopers, no one would have been hurt. Most likely we would have never even heard about it. As far as guns being a problem, I lived in Chicago area for a year, everyday there were shootings. The reason I bring that up is because it's against the law to have a gun in Chicago. I know there are some thugs that would give the PD a hard time. But face it, that doesn't justify treating the other 99.5% of us like hardened criminals over a speeding ticket or less. The days of friendly Officer O'kelly are gone, now days you can't put a lot of trust in the PD. Sad but true.
Games
As I stated in an earlier comment on this incident, "Let the games begin" For the police to plan a commando style operation for someone growing some pot is obviosly an inherent danger for the homeowner and the police officers involved. Why not just serve the search warrant as the homeowner is either leaving or coming home from work. Approaching him outside the home would obviously lessen the danger to all involved. Apparently the homeowner had little or no previous arrests and was a hard working individual. SWAT and commando raids should be limited to serious crimes. If it takes a consultant to figure this out, then policymakers at the Chesapeake police department should be replaced immediately. Yes, I agree that Mrs Shivers should sue the city and police department for the obvious mistakes regarding this tragic incident.
Fairness
I think someone from out of the cities jurisdiction should do the review. Chesapeake people will be bought off, you know dirty money, and write down what they are told to. I really don't believe the state police will get to bottom of the incident. I think someone that teaches Law would be unbiased and could investigate and examine the procedures and make recommendations. Chesapeake is the most crooked Law Enforcement that I know and the truth will not be uncovered. Watch how they drive in the city with their vehicles and the way they talk to the citizens. They write us for the crimes they commit themselves. So do you think the real truth of this matter will come out?
from ThomasA below....
"There have been 177 shootings in South Norfolk from Jan.'07 through Nov.'07."
Holy cow! I did not know that. Where'd this info come from. There's a whole lot more going on here in Hampton Roads that the media, police and city officials don't want us taxpayers to know, isn't it??
Just an attempt at a cover-up..
This whole deal is simply an attempt to cover-up a botched scenario that went down the wrong way is all. Why not hire this "consultant" to study staffing levels and everything else before the death of Detective Shivers? Why after??? Sounds like someone is trying to cover up their foot prints now when the real investigation is on. The truth will come out in the wash and a lot more people will have to pay dearly for all the pain this has inflicted on everyone involved. Mrs. Shivers should file a couple lawsuits but not until the results of this are unvieled first though.. Just my .02
Wrong move for a consultant
I concur with another reader on here. The proper review of police procedures and policy should be done by the Virginia State Police. Because the city has been reluctant to have an official review, I went ahead and asked Governor Kaine's office for one. I don't know what will be found, but I'm hoping there will be an in-depth analysis, and changes that may prevent the future loss of life.
An issue for the people, not a consultant.
Consultants can't help unless Chesapeake is clear on more ideological issues.
Should Chesapeake be the kind of place where citizens with no criminal record, suspected (on flimsy evidence, no less) of non-violent crimes have their doors busted down in the night? If so, expect more militarization of the police and casualties on all three sides - law abiding citizens, drug users/dealers, and police.
Or should citizens be presumed innocent, treated with civility and dignity, and suspects apprehended in ways that don't endanger public and officer alike? Should judges wait until the police do actual police work and collect solid evidence before warrants are issued?
That's the debate we should be having, and one that no consultant can answer for us.
In order to maintain the public trust,
The Chesapeake Police Dept should ask the Attorney General to assign the State Police to oversee this investigation.
Too many things have been left unexplained, particularly, the .223 casing found at the scene, which could not have come from Fredericks .380.
There is probably a good explanation, but by remaining silent on such things, the publics' confidence in the integrity of the investigation will be eroded. If mistakes were made, it is better to get them out in the sunlight now rather than have them dragged out later.
Police are human beings, and mistakes will be made. Having come close to tragedy myself (see tidewaterliberty.com "Knock, Knock") I know how quickly things can go wrong even with the best intentions all around.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
Watchout FOP....
Here's how you hire a consultant...Interview several, find which one will agree with your existing procedures and leadership, you then get a report that proclaims "management is very competent, procedures are good"...but....your employees(cops)are the problem. If you've ever been through this in private industry (and I have, several times)it always turns out this way. Consultants always give who's paying the bill what they want to hear....