Funeral for Benjamin Campione - a former Green Beret killed by police gunfire in Syracuse.
On Facebook tonight a reader commented that he did not like the tone of Jim Kenyon’s report about the Grand Jury’s findings in the case of three officers shooting a mentally ill man who had taken a shooting position with what appeared to be a .357 handgun. The reader did not clarify what it was about the tone he didn’t like or even what the tone was.
He did write this: “those men were doing what they were supposed to do: protect and serve the public. Sorry for the family of the man shot, but they did what they were trained to do.”
His reaction is a common one when officers in our community fire their weapons. Thankfully it is an infrequent occurrence. Yet, when it does happen people tend to favor the officers who fired. It is a natural response. The police are the good guys and the bad guys are the ones putting someone else’s life in jeopardy.
I responded to the man’s comments about the tone of the report with this:
The police chief and the D.A. would concur that it is critical to judiciously evaluate each incident of an officer firing his or her weapon. Each time this occurs it is presumed to be the use of deadly force whether the victim is killed or not. It is also the role of journalists to ask questions to make sure the investigation is thorough and without prejudice. We instill a great deal of power in our law enforcers. We must hold them accountable. In this case we have every reason to believe the officers acted precisely as they were taught during training.
I must admit in this case I grew up down the street from one of the officers involved in this shooting. He has 25 years on the force. He was a young officer the day Wallie Howard was shot and killed. Now he’s a detective with a family. This is not an easy time for him or any of the others involved in the death of Benjamin Campione.
It is appropriate that the Grand Jury found the shooting justified. What would not be appropriate would be officers firing their weapons and not having a procedure in place to fastidiously detail what happened and whether it went down the way it should. As reporters we will continue to press to make sure the facts and findings are laid out for all to see. You’ll have to pardon us if that strikes a tone that doesn’t sit well while we do our job in the interest of protecting the public. It is also the role of the journalists to ask questions to make sure the investigation is thorough and without prejudice.
Any questions or comment please forward them to mattsmemo@CNYcentral.com. I may even use some of your thoughts on NBC 3 News at 5:00, the 10:00 News on CW6 or on CNYcentral.com.
The opinions expressed in this blog are the sole responsibility of the author and are not reflective of the views or opinions of Barrington Broadcasting, WSTM-NBC3, its management or employees.
