Chief Jose Lopes on Facebook

Chief Lopez went to Facebook Sunday to post this: "From Durham Police Chief Jose L. Lopez Sr. - We are aware of the many questions and concerns that are being raised by the community regarding the police action after the vigil/protest march on Thursday, December 19, 2013. We understand that the limited information that has been provided thus far has created questions, concerns and stirred emotions. Please understand that our decision was not entered into lightly and distressing the communities of Durham was not our intent. As information becomes available we will work to provide it. After any major police action in the city a thorough review of the incident is conducted. A review of this incident will include, but is not limited to, assessing the tactics used, intelligence gathered, videos, literature collected, feedback and deployment decisions before, during and after this event. We will be hearing from others outside of the organization and will be transparent in communicating the findings. With the logistical challenges of the holiday season, we will work to be as prompt as possible with this review. Although we hope that such an incident does not repeat itself, we will learn from this incident and work to improve our practices wherever possible." I applaud Joe Lo trying to reach out through new media. If you read the comments to his post, there are some positives. Troubling is the comment about the "provocation" being writing with chalk on the street. That seems not very provocative. Another concern is how the DPD seems to be limiting the flow of information. We saw in the lacrosse fiasco how the DPD tried to limit information and when it all came out, it was, well, a fiasco. The main point here is this very unfortunate death has spawned a large measure of suspicion of the police. The police response to the protests has done nothing to help the situation. I close in calling for an independent monitor of the Durham Police Department. A monitor with the power to review, either on his own initiative or upon citizen complaint, the actions, and policies of the Durham Police Department.