The video below has caused a public outcry after a South Carolina school resource officer identified as Richland County Sheriff’s Department Senior Deputy Ben Fields is shown tossing a female high school student to the floor and dragging her from a classroom after she refused to get up and leave with him. Fields has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Fields, shown right from a Twitter photo, was reportedly called in because the student would not get off her cellphone or leave the class as instructed. The 15-second video shows Fields asking the student “Are You Coming With Me or am I Going to Make You? Come on. I’m going to get you up.” What follows is the scuffle where the student ends up on the floor and being pulled by Fields. Fields is heard saying “I’ll put you in jail next.”
The site Heavy has reported that Fields in the subject of a lawsuit alleging violations of the civil rights of a student at Spring Valley High School. The student, Ashton James Reese, was expelled in 2013 from the high school for “unlawful assembly of gang activity and assault and battery” and was also accused of participating in a “gang related” fight in a Walmart parking lot near the school. In the lawsuit, he is accused of “recklessly target[ing] African-American students with allegations of gang membership and criminal gang activity.”
The Columbia mayor has denounced Fields and said “We cannot and will not accept this kind of behavior from any law enforcement officer and I firmly believe that we need an independent investigation to get to the bottom of this incident and see that justice is done.”
Given that this was all about cellphone use, is there any justification for this level of force in your view?
How nice Jack managed not to call Darren an “idiot”. Maybe Darren grace Jack with a response.
Better ways to be sure. Been there, done that.
If there weren’t better ways, we’d see these sorts of videos more often because kids are always acting out somewhere, for a variety of reasons.
And bringing in a cop to muscle a kid out of the room is not the option of choice.
Annie, Do you read what you quote?
Darren said; “…and the fact that I could not see any evidence of force used against the deputy.”
But there was forced used against the deputy. He was punched while trying to remove her from her chair. As such, Darren’s initial opinion is in error and needs to be updated.
Anon said ..
There was a better way to have handled this situation.
Like Jack said….Okay. Tell us. I’ll wait and then listen. Details please, not platitudes about “management.”
T. Hall,
Did Darren offer his opinion after seeing the officer was being punched by the student? If that was the case, I would appreciate him saying so.
As far as optics go, would the officer have to be a black female officer, or would a big white woman work? Remember, we’re talking optics. How many black female officers are on the Sheriff’s Department?
“Darren Smith
1, October 27, 2015 at 8:00 am
My opinion is that the amount and level of force was not reasonable given the circumstances, that is the classroom situation, no criminal activity on behalf of the student, and the fact that I could not see any evidence of force used against the deputy.
I think it is likely the deputy will be found to have violated department policy but not likely to be criminally prosecuted.”
*************************
Perhaps you’d like to insult Darren too and you can argue with him, he IS/ WAS an LEO.
Inga – Darren was partially wrong in his analysis. She HAD committed a crime in his presence. She was Disturbing a School, which is at least a misdemeanor.
“I doubt that Jack.”
Well, I doubt your brother is a police officer, and I doubt he ever stated what you claim.
See…I can play that game too. 🙂
Jack: Without condoning this young woman’s conduct the officer did, in fact, over-react. Darren gave his expert opinion above and that’s pretty much the last word on it.
DBQ is right: This girl should be bounced from school and allowed to see how she fares without the benefit of an education.
As for removing her from that classroom, there were a number of techniques and strategies that could have gotten her compliance, but the first thing I would have done was send a female officer in to get her. If nothing else, it would have made for better optics.
It’s often the weak-minded that resort to violence and weapons.
Hall –
First, a school only has ONE resource officer. So, you go with the person you have.
Second, as a seasoned teacher, tell us the techniques you would have used to deescalate the situation.
anon,
Why is it that the people who respond with “there was a better way” can never articulate a “better way” when asked?
It’s one thing to complain about the officer’s actions (which is as easy as playing Monday Morning Quarterback), but quite another to present a viable alternative. You have as much as self-determined that you have no viable alternative course of action and are limited to the role of whiner. Thanks for clearing that up.
“As far as experience goes…Yes. I’m a former LEO.”
I doubt that Jack.
Annie, “His opinion carried more weight than yours undoubtedly, based on his many years in law enforcement.”
Are you for real? The hearsay opinion of your brother carried no weight in the decision of the Sheriff’s Office, or to the readers of this blog. That is, unless he is consulting for the department (which you have not claimed). -His opinion might carry some weight with you, but that is the furthest anyone who uses critical thinking skills would go.
If you brother wants to post a comment on this blog, he is free to do so. However, that would subject him to challenge of his position. It appears that he doesn’t want to do that.
As far as experience goes…Yes. I’m a former LEO.
The deputy did not follow his training. He manhandled this girl very roughly which could’ve resulted in serious injury, which was a serious overreaction to the girls infraction. His obvious inability to control his temper makes him unsuitable to be among teenagers and even the general public. Police are not above the law and assaulting people is not a part of the job description or training.
You’ve already made up your mind, Jack, and you aren’t about to “take in” any alternative scenarios.
I can guarantee that there were other ways to have managed this situation. And I speak from experience.
Jack, you insulting my brother only proves that you are lacking in several different important areas. My brother wasn’t charged with investigating this incident and gave a reasoned opinion, just like many people did. His opinion carried more weight than yours undoubtedly, based on his many years in law enforcement. I doubt you know anyone in law enforcement based on your gratuitous insult.
anon; “There was a better way to have handled this situation.”
Okay. I’ll bite. What “better way” would you have used when a student refuses to comply with the verbal orders of a teacher and then a police officer. Please tell us your plan of action.
I am so sick of the liberal media destroying the standards of this great Nation. They constantly edit out video segments making GOOD appear as BAD and BAD as GOOD. This young female in the classroom is being disrubtive and disobeying school staff an a officer. How is the school supposed to be able to teach young people the subjects they need for the rest of their life if there are constant disrubtions. The parents of this young female should be held responsible for her actions just as much as she is. This behavior is unacceptable and should not be tollerated in school or anywhere else. Its because of insubordanant behavior like this that young people become leaches on society, costing tax payers billions of dollars every year. My question to the liberal media is why do you insist on producing false information and tearing up the very foundation of the United States of America.
And we don’t need “police officers” manhandling children in our schools.
There was a better way to have handled this situation.
Mark my words…”The cop will be reinstated, and he will receive back pay.” -Jack
We’ll see, won’t we… (Even if he is, it doesn’t necessarily mean that his behavior was right, or justified.)
“The deputy was fired after an internal investigation.” -Annie
Here’s a link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben-fields-fired-spring-valley-high-school_5630dbede4b0c66bae5a454f
Annie, Your brother is an idiot who most likely responded without fully investigating the incident. (Just like you did. — No surprise there.)
The Sheriff reacted to media pressure. Mark my words…”The cop will be reinstated, and he will receive back pay.”
The cop was within his authority to physically remove the girl from her chair. It quickly escalated when the girl started punching the officer. -Nobody, not even a police officer, has to subject themselves to being punched.
The deputy was fired after an internal investigation. As my brother( the cop) suggested would/should happen, because “he did not follow his training” in attempting to extract the student the way he did. Good call Sheriff.