Suspicious Police Custody Death

According to reports, David Harris died while in the custody of Monroe Police Department officers on Saturday, April 3. As of press time, the circumstances surrounding Harris' death are under investigation by the Ouachita Parish Sheriff Office. Law enforcement officials at MPD say that they asked OPSO to take over the investigation. It is customary for an "independent" agency to conduct the investigation to ensure that it will be handled appropriately. Details released by MPD are sketchy, as the only information known to the public is that contact was made with the individual, but the circumstances of how that came about remain unknown. MPD went on to say that the individual was taken into custody and was placed in a police unit. Police then say that the individual became "combative" without explaining what combative meant while inside the police unit. MPD did not offer what caused the individual to become combative. The preliminary statement then says that the Harris "had a medical emergency" and died presumably within the police unit. As of press time, no cause of death has been determined, nor has there been any announcement of an autopsy being performed. The community will be looking to OPSO to be forthcoming in a timely manner in letting the community know as soon as possible the extent of what happened on April 3, 2021. The community will be expecting transparency from law enforcement, as it is aware of several incidents in the NELA area where police officers were involved, yet the truth of what exactly happened to people in police custody who were beaten or killed only became known after lawsuits were filed to access information that was kept from the public. In another matter involving excessive force by police officers, Randall Dickerson, a state trooper from Unit F, resigned recently from his assignment. Dickerson, along with several other troopers, were charged with excessive force and other charges surrounding a beating of Morgan Blake, an incident that made headlines due to the seriousness of Blake's injuries. Dickerson was not alone in being charged in the Blake beating, as Jacob Brown, another trooper was also implicated in the beating. According to law enforcement at Louisiana State Police(LSP) HQ., Dickerson's last day as a trooper was March 28. Once again, the truth only came out after a lawsuit was filed when it became clear to some that LSP appeared not to be honest in its investigation. It was later found that Dickerson and Brown did not activate their cameras when they made contact with Blake and allegedly gave false statements to investigators. Once again, this signals the urgency of transparency when it comes to police misconduct among police officers. When they do not use the tools supplied to them at taxpayers' expense, the repercussions should be swift and severe to hold them accountable. As the nation/world watches the trial of former police office Derek Chauvin for allegedly using excessive force resulting in the death of George Floyd, it should be of critical importance to law enforcement that accountability is the one thing that the public must demand so that the truth will be known. The public is owed that obligation on those who swear "to protect and to serve."

Photo David Harris