Police departments across the U.S. open probes into whether their own members took part in the Capitol riot
By Kim Bellware
Jan. 9, 2021 at 10:00 p.m. EST
Police officers and at least one police chief from departments across the United States are facing termination, suspension or other discipline for their proximity to or alleged involvement in a chaotic gathering in Washington on Wednesday that ended in a riot at the U.S. Capitol and left five people dead.
Departments in California, Washington state, and Texas are among those that have announced investigations into their officers based on tips, social media posts and other evidence, though more officers could be identified as evidence emerges in the coming days.
The probes come after an especially fraught year for U.S. policing that saw massive civil rights protests against police violence. They are likely to raise questions about free speech, the expansion of surveillance and public trust in law enforcement, while legal experts warn the scrutiny could have unintended consequences.
In Seattle, Interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz confirmed at least two officers had been placed on administrative leave and referred to internal investigations after the department received social media posts showing the officers in Washington Wednesday.
“The Department fully supports all lawful expressions of First Amendment freedom of speech, but the violent mob and events that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol were unlawful and resulted in the death of another police officer,” Diaz said in a statement Thursday. He vowed to fire any officers who were “directly involved in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.”
The two officers were not immediately identified.
Thomas Goldie, a Pittsburgh area officer with the Zelienople Borough Police Department, is under investigation by the borough’s legal department after he was photographed at Wednesday’s rally wearing a hat that read “Trump MAGA 2020 f--- your feelings,” CBS Pittsburgh reported.
Zelienople Police Chief Jim Miller told local media that Goldie was not believed to have taken part in the riot inside the Capitol building, but that the matter was under investigation.
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An interview by Dave Ellis, a police chief in Troy, N.H., was quickly noted by residents in his hometown, who called for his resignation.
Speaking to New York Magazine during Wednesday’s protest in D.C., Ellis condemned the break-in at the Capitol and the violence against Capitol police. He later told New Hampshire Public Radio he accepted the outcome of the November election but attended out of support for President Trump, whom he has backed since 2016.
Richard Thackston, head of Troy’s Board of Selectmen, has thus far rebuffed calls for Ellis’ ouster. Neither man could be immediately reached for comment Saturday night.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in Texas was among the first to announce an internal investigation into one of its employees’ participation.
Roxanne Mathai, a Bexar County sheriff’s lieutenant in San Antonio, is facing an investigation after she posted a video on Facebook of herself at the Capitol draped in a Trump flag; she noted she was not going to enter the Capitol building like others.
more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/01/09/investigating-police-rioters/
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