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New council to review officer-involved shootings when public’s distrustful

They will get to work at the request of an agency when the public won’t accept that agency’s findings. But not everyone thinks the advisory council ...

More sets of eyes can now review what happens in an officer-involved shooting.

U.S. Attorney for Alabama’s Northern District Jay Town has built an Independent Shooting Review Advisory Council. They will get to work at the request of an agency when the public won’t accept that agency’s findings. But not everyone thinks the advisory council is made up of the right people.

The creation of the council started after EJ Bradford was killed at Galleria Mall last Thanksgiving by Hoover Police. Bradford’s death led to public outrage even after state officials ruled it justified.

RELATED STORY: Family of man killed by Hoover police officer files wrongful death suit

“The public just didn’t seem like it wanted to accept those results as fact, as truthful,” Town said.

To erase the public’s concerns and restore credibility to law enforcement, Town created the council to do independent reviews on officer-involved shootings.

“This is a way for that city council, that mayor, that police chief, whomever, to offer the public a time out,” he said. “Take some patience and the review’s gonna be done by an independent body.”

The council is five to nine retired and current law enforcement officers and prosecutors from outside the area where the shooting happened.

Town doesn’t expect them to be invited to review Dana Fletcher’s case, though Madison officials didn’t respond to back that up. A local activist who’s been following Fletcher’s case believes a council made up of law enforcement officers isn’t diverse enough.

RELATED STORY: Madison officers involved in Dana Fletcher shooting return to duty

“A lot of these guys have been in office for decades and they have influence throughout different county lines and different state lines and I do not feel that that’s strong enough,” said Tremain Crutcher.

Crutcher says a group of intellectuals from different crafts would be more impartial. He believes that especially when a black man is killed, like in Fletcher and Bradford’s cases, the council should be mostly black men.

“We are the ones that make up the prisons, we are the ones that are being more affected,” Crutcher said. “And I think that we should have a stronger show in it.”

WZDX News wasn’t able to get a hold of Town later Tuesday to get his response to concerns the council isn’t diverse enough. Right now the council has 20 people that nine will be chosen from. 

The Incident Review Board returned their report to the city of Madison Monday and the officers that shot Fletcher are back at work.

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