The recent events involving Councilman Johnson and Officer Brian Authement as well as Councilman Johnson’s statements concerning those events require a response from PLEA. We have two members of our police family on opposing sides of a very serious issue. It is regretful that a disagreement between two police family members resulted in a physical contest at a fire scene. What remains however is the rule of law. PLEA has clearly and publicly opposed racial insensitivity directed at anyone of a protected class. With this in mind, we closely examined the conduct of our officer and that of Councilman Johnson who decided to breach a police line at the scene of a critical incident.
The responsibility and duty of the officer charged with protecting that fire line is an important one and should not be taken lightly. We believe our officer’s actions were reasonable, within policy, and not racially motivated. We support the actions of our officer. One of PLEA’s roles with Phoenix Police Officers is to not only pursue fairness but to also hold them accountable for their actions. Accountability should not be limited only to rank and file officers, but needs to extend to Councilman Johnson as well.
CLICK HERE to read the message of support sent to PLEA from Councilman Sal DiCiccio.
Listen Now! to the related audio from the Mike Broomhead show aired on March 19, 2010.
Listen Now! to the related audio from the Mike Broomhead show aired on March 22, 2010.