Monday September 24, 2001

Tucson Chief of Police Richard Miranda finished his report on police conduct during the Fourth Avenue riots in April. Decisions were made. Reprimands were handed down. But justice was not served.

Five months ago, the UA basketball team lost to Duke in the NCAA National Championship, and Fourth Avenue subsequently erupted into mayhem. Most students, business owners and UA officials let this event fade. But one person won't forget. His name is Jeff Knepper, and he lost his eye to a non-lethal round fired from the gun of a Tucson police officer.

Detective Michael Mare is suspected of firing the round that took Knepper's eye. We expected the person responsible for Knepper's injury to be punished. We expected justice from our police department. We expected justice for Jeff Knepper. Mare was given a written reprimand - the equivalent of a slap on the wrist.

Mare should have received a more serious reprimand, but it would be a mistake to lay all the blame on him. His reprimand was for "using non-lethal weaponry without being authorized." The advisory board, which met prior to Chief Miranda's report, blamed David Leotaud for acting out of policy when he ordered less-than-lethal ammunitions to be used by unqualified officers, including Mare. Mare was not qualified to operate weaponry with non-lethal munitions. Apparently one of the things they teach officers at non-lethal ammunitions training is: Don't point your gun at anyone's face.

But this goose chase isn't done. According to Chief Miranda, Leotaud isn't responsible for distributing non-lethal weapons to unauthorized officers. Two sergeants are. It is obvious not just one person is responsible for what happened to Knepper. The blame lies on the entire entire police department. It was negligent.

The most serious reprimand handed down from Chief Miranda was to Sgt. Wes Dison, who improperly targeted a citizen with a flash-bang grenade, and then bragged about it to fellow officers. Dison was suspended for eight hours without pay. Eight hours - not eight days, not eight weeks, but a single day-shift. Dison found it amusing to fire explosives at celebrating fans, and Chief Miranda decided to suspend him for one day.

Mayor Bob Walkup is quoted as saying that he is "very satisfied" with the board of inquiry. It is frightening to this college community that city and police officials can get away with using extreme force on unarmed citizens and simply take a day off for punishment.

Many Tucsonans believed that the police handled the Fourth Avenue riots well. It didn't. Of course police presence was necessary, but it came too late. Most importantly, there is no reason that police need guns for crowd control, whether they be non-lethal, lethal, paint-ball or water pistol.

Jeff Knepper's fight for justice isn't over. He filed a $3 million claim against the city, and he deserves every penny.