An official of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers has written the County Commission defending the Sheriff's Office on claims of racial bias.
Vincent L. Champion, IBPO regional director, said allegations against all five of the deputies on how they handled the incident with protesters at the County Courthouse is "baseless."
He said, "The deputies did not make contact until the protesters began to destroy property and force was not displayed until the protesters became belligerent and violent. The deputies had to endure threats of 'I’ll kill you' and tried to mitigate several protesters pulling a deputy into the crowd.
"We agree a conversation needs to be held. But it’s a conversation that needs to be based on facts, not perceptions."
Mr. Champion also said, "We are writing this letter to try and dispel some myths and put forth facts about how the Hamilton County Sheriff’s office operates, and to dispel the claims of racial bias. The tragic events, in Minneapolis have been condemned by not only leaders in our community but also the heads of our law enforcement organizations. Despite claims that the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is using racially bias policing methods the data proves that the Sheriff’s Office is does not target any race or gender when it comes to enforcing the law. Law Enforcement doesn’t have control over who breaks the law or who resists when being taken into custody. Listed below is the raw data for last year (2019) which includes Citations, Arrests and uses of force.
Arrests:
White or Caucasian – %64.26
Black or African American - %35.59
Uses of Force for Law Enforcement Services:
White or Caucasian - %59.4
Black or African American– %39.6
Citations:
White or Caucasian male – %52.66
White or Caucasian Female -%26.12
Black or African American Male -%10.75
Black or African American Female -%5.95
The Sheriff’s Office has started more civil and community-based programs since Sheriff Hammond has taken Office, than any other Sheriff. Under Hammond, the Sheriff’s Office has seen its highest number of EEO hires.