By PATRICK ADRIAN
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CLAREMONT — In a conversation with the Claremont City Council, Police Chief Mark Chase condemned the actions of the four Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of an unarmed George Floyd and stressed the Claremont Police Department’s efforts to be transparent and accountable to the public.
“[Floyd’s] death while in the custody of the police officers is unconscionable, deeply disturbing and both morally and professionally offensive,” Chase said on Wednesday. “Mr. George Floyd needlessly died at the hands of the people who gave an oath to protect every person’s rights, including Mr. Floyd’s. They failed and we should all pay attention to what is going on right now.”
On May 25, Floyd, while in the custody of four officers, died of asphyxiation allegedly attributed to officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck and not releasing pressure, despite Floyd saying repeatedly that he could not breathe.
Chauvin has been charged with second degree murder. The other three officers, who allegedly took no action to stop Chauvin, have been charged with aiding and abetting.
Chase personally condemned Chauvin’s actions and the other officers for failing to intervene.
City Manager Ed Morris said he wanted Chase to update the council about the department’s use of training and policies to protect public safety.
While police officers must sometimes use physical force to maintain law and order, use of force is a relatively small part of an officer’s job, Chase said. The department works hard to keep policies regarding use of force and fair and impartial policing up to date and officers train yearly in use of force and best practices and review of laws.
The Claremont department has also utilized cameras since April 2019. All on-duty officers are required to wear body cameras and every marked cruiser in use is equipped with a cruiser cam, Chase said. The lone vehicle exception was the new cruiser donated by McGee Toyota of Claremont last year, which will not be used for on-duty purposes until the camera is installed.
The cameras have been “a tool,” Chase said, who added that the public, as well as officers, had requested cameras for several years.
“Video is everywhere and has changed a lot of the last five or 10 years,” Chase said. “Not every police department has it. I understand there’s a cost to the cameras but transparency is important.
Notably, many residents called for the need of body cameras in 2016 following the fatal police shooting of 25-year-old resident Cody LaFont by former Claremont officer Ian Kibbe. Kibbe had claimed the shooting was an act of self-defense, saying that LaFont advanced toward Kibbe with a revolver drawn and refused commands to drop the weapon. LaFont, who had a history of depression, had made several calls to 911 that ultimately resulted in Kibbe’s visit to LaFont’s home.
After an extensive investigation, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office concluded in October 2016 that Kibbe’s actions were “legally justified.” Last year, however, the state office released an amended conclusion to the LaFont case, stating it “can no longer conclude Mr. Kibbe’s actions were justified” after Kibbe later pled guilty to two counts of conducting an illegal search and falsifying documents in an unrelated case.
Chase, who became Claremont’s chief of police in February 2018, said that while managing the amount of camera footage can be time consuming, the equipment has been an effective tool in bolstering transparency and accountability.
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