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Overcast Making sure RVC doesn’t become Ferguson
The story in Ferguson, Mo. is well-known by now: police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager.
The residents of Ferguson certainly never expected to be thrust into the spotlight in the way they were. It was a tragedy that could have happened in any small town in America, including Rockville Centre, which is one of the few municipalities in Nassau County to have its own police department.
It’s an issue that hasn’t arisen yet for the community, but the Rockville Centre Police Department is prepared for the eventuality. In his 28 years with the department, Commissioner Charles Gennario said he has never seen an incident where a RVCPD officer shot and killed someone.
“If the person was killed, then [the Nassau County Police Department homicide squad] would come in and conduct a homicide investigation, and we would be responsible for the internal investigation to make sure procedures were followed,” Gennario explained.
According to Gennario, any shooting involving a Rockville Centre police officer would be investigated by both the RVCPD and the NCPD. The Nassau County police would investigate whether there was any criminality on the officer’s part, and the local department would look into whether or not the officer correctly followed local procedures.
“I would have to make sure departmental policies are followed,” Gennario said. “Make sure that use of force was justified.”
If either investigation revealed any impropriety in the shooting, the case would be referred to the District Attorney’s office for criminal prosecution.
During the investigation, unless there was suspicion of criminal activity, the officer would most likely be put on administrative leave.
“We may put him on administrative leave pending medical evaluation,” said Gennario. “It’s a traumatic experience, taking someone’s life. People react differently.”
The events in Ferguson also had Gennario considering other aspects of how the department would respond to a shooting in which a civilian was killed. Things like how quickly to release the name of the victim and the officer involved to the media have to be considered. “And you have to worry about [the officer’s] rights, too,” Gennario said. “Just because he’s a police officer, you don’t take his rights away.”
Having to handle a case in which an officer killed a civilian is a situation Gennario hopes he never has to worry about.
“It’s a tough situation,” he said. “I tell everyone, in that situation, slow everything down. We’re not going to make rush judgments for anybody.”
