Group seeks citizen review board in Frederick case

Posted to: Chesapeake News Shivers shooting
Login or register to post comments

By Kristin Davis
The Virginian-Pilot
© February 25, 2009

CHESAPEAKE

The Tidewater Libertarian Party called the shooting death of a Chesapeake detective last January "tragic and avoidable" and on Tuesday night asked the City Council to create a citizen review board to investigate police policies.

"Police take the position that they need not explain their actions," said Don Tabor, who represents the Libertarian organization. A citizen review board would restore "lost trust" in the Chesapeake Police Department, he said.

Detective Jarrod Shivers, a 34-year-old father of three, was shot to death while executing a drug search warrant on Jan. 17, 2008. A jury convicted homeowner Ryan Frederick of misdemeanor marijuana possession and voluntary manslaughter earlier this month. Frederick could face 10 years in prison.

Jack Crimmins, president of the Chesapeake Coalition of Police, said after the conviction that police were following procedure long used by Chesapeake police and police departments across the country.

Findings of an internal investigation into the shooting by the Police Department were not made public, but police said in August that except for equipping its special investigations section with more protective tactical vests, there would be no changes to policy.

Council members did not respond to Tabor, but City Manager William Harrell said he would consult with the city attorney and report back to the council.

John Landfair, a Chesapeake officer, asked for the council's support, saying that many people had "set out on a course to disparage" the department after Shivers' death.

"I would argue that someone who has not worked a beat, responded to countless calls and been subjected to making critical decisions in literally the blink of an eye may have difficulty," he said. "Just as you are accountable to the citizens of Chesapeake, so is the Police Department accountable to the citizens through you, their elected officials."

COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.

Citizen Review, a Good Start to Save Lives

Submitted by Britt Howard on Thu, 02/26/2009 at 11:05 pm.

First, I am proud of the fact that the local affiliate of the Libertarian Party here in the Tidewater area voiced concerns over this case. What is disturbing is that other "groups" did not speak out. Word choice aside, this article being printed should be viewed as a positive.

It was bad policy and a lack of analysis that caused this tragedy. Public trust has been lost. A man with no previous record had his life ruined. A good man and officer died. The raid can only be viewed as a failure. To ensure that lives of our police and citizenry alike are not put at unecessary risk, a Citizen Review Board would be a good start.

RickB and Wm D Tabor DDS

Submitted by karens82153 on Thu, 02/26/2009 at 9:03 pm.

I couldn't agree with you guys more. Somehow, some think they themself are immune to a situation like this. That is both Police and the citizens they represent.

Bhound2

Submitted by RickB on Thu, 02/26/2009 at 5:45 pm.

Bhound2, it's obviously not the SAFEST way to serve a warrant. If it were, we would not have a dead officer on our hands. When the City Police think they do not have to answer to the citizens, or review their procedures, we have a major problem on our hands. The method may be the "safest', but it's really the 'safest' SO FAR. If this is the best they can come up with, maybe we need a change in leadership. I ask anyone, lets say someone decided to get you trouble, and reported you had drugs to the police. They came, and you were in the home alone in the shower, how are you to respond to "Police, we have a warrant"! They only give you seconds or maybe a minute, before they break in. Is this America, or George Orwells "1984"? They have no right to break in like this, just because an 'informant' said so. They should have done their own investigation as well, gathered evidence, and then proceeded accordingly.

It goes way beyond irony

Submitted by Wm D Tabor DDS on Thu, 02/26/2009 at 1:03 pm.

Its a total refusal to see any point of view but their own. They know they are the police, and anyone who sees anything differently is an enemy.

They see only the outside of that door, but they will not see their actions as seen from inside that house.

Imagine you are the homeowner. You hear dogs barking and pounding. You go to investigate, and as you enter the room, part of your door comes flying in. You see parts of at least two men not in uniforms. What do you do?

Your best chance of repelling a home invasion is before they come in through the door. If you wait, you will be outnumbered facing invaders who will certainly be armed. Do you wait on the possibility that it MIGHT be the police? If you do, will they kill you when they enter and see you with a gun in your hand? Your choice determines if you, and your family if you are not alone, lives or dies.

You have two seconds. Choose.

There is a bottom line in this case

Submitted by Orion on Thu, 02/26/2009 at 12:32 pm.

The police are at fault, period. That is why everyone in the city is quiet. How do I come to this conclusion? They were serving a search warrant, NOT an arrest warrant. They could have waited for him to go to work, or even detain him as he walked out and searched his place peaceably.

A policeman is dead; a young man's life is ruined.

Who is at fault; who is criminal?

Am I the only one to find the irony in this

Submitted by Len Rothman on Thu, 02/26/2009 at 11:45 am.

Lindfair, a Chesapeake Policeman said "…been subjected to making critical decisions in literally the blink of an eye…".

Isn't that what Ryan Frederick had to do as the battering ram exploding through the door?

It turned out to be a fatal decision, as it would probably be for anyone experiencing their home being violently invaded by unknown assailants.

Is there a difference between a trained officer and a frightened homeowner having to make the same split second decision?

Maybe the best approach is to not put anyone purposely in the position of having to make those decisions to serve a warrant on a suspect with no record of anything and questionable informant testimony.

Sniper - what do you fear in a review?

Submitted by Reid_Greenmun on Thu, 02/26/2009 at 7:39 am.

Sniper, first off, the TLP is a political party, not a "group". Do you refer to the Democratic Party as a "group"? Secondly, what is the downside of having an independent citizen review of this tragic case? A police officer was killed and clearly there are better ways to search Mr. Fredrick's home then the manner that lead to the death of a police officer. As citizens, the police are accountable to us. They work for us. We have not only a right to provide oversight, we have the obligation to do so. The process used to obtain a warrent in this case appears to violate our constitutional rights. That is a serious matter that needs review. But in order to decide how best to recommend improvements to the CPD we will need to work from facts. There is nothing to fear from informed citizens offering to review what happened and offer suggestions to our city council representatives. BTW, I serve as the Chairman of the TLP.

I Support Law Enforcement Officers

Submitted by Sniper1977 on Wed, 02/25/2009 at 10:34 pm.

I'm not a cop but I do support their way of doing things. This group (TLP) is nothing but a bunch of blow hards that want to be heard. Mr. Tabor and his followers if you truly want to change the way Chesapeake Police conduct business then become a cop work your way through the ranks to become top cop and make those changes that you deem necessary otherwise continue to do your profession (Dentist, construction ect) and let the trained law enforcement officers do what they do best. PROTECT THE CITIZENS OF CHESAPEAKE.