A cop charged for a “face-kick” on a suspect, claimed his action was justified. A Delaware Police officer named, Thomas Webster, who is Caucasian, was charged with assault for kicking Lateef Dickerson, an African American man, in the face and knocking him unconscious as he obeyed police orders during an arrest.
The headline “Cop Charged For Kick” has put the race debate back on the forefront of the media.
A cop charged for kicking a black suspect is being slammed by some and defended by others. A video, which was ordered to be released by a federal judge showed Cpl. Thomas Webster IV, a member of the Dover Police Department, kicking Lateef Dickerson in the face.
The white police officer kicked the black suspect so hard that his hat flew off, and he was briefly knocked out unconscious. The 4-minute dash camera video clearly showed Dickerson obeying the two officers prior to being assaulted.
The incident occurred in August 2013, and the suspect sustained injuries to his jaw. The police officers arrested Dickerson because he matched the description of a person carrying a gun who took part in a brawl at a local service station.
Dickerson was not carrying a weapon during the time of his arrest. Dickerson may not have been in possession of a firearm that night, but he was arrested in the past multiple times for doing just that. He also landed in trouble with the law for DUI.
An internal investigation that same year found that the police officer violated department policy and he was therefore placed on paid administrative leave starting in November 2013.
The case was taken to a grand jury by former Attorney General Beau Biden, who was not able to get Webster indicted. Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden, concluded there were no civil rights violation in a review of the case.
In June 2014, Thomas Webster returned to duty. The new Attorney General Matt Denn, who took office earlier this year, reviewed the case last week and decided to present it to another grand jury.
The police officer was arrested and charged this week with assault. His lawyer, James Liguori, said that evidence from another dashcam video and audio from the dispatch center will show that his client is innocent.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware, which had sued on Dickerson’s behalf, is now doing it again. Kathleen MacRae, executive director of the union, said:
“We believe that the video demonstrates the need for large-scale reform of the Dover Police Department, specifically improvements to their use of force and internal affairs practices, and supervision of their officers.”
Dover Police Lt. Jason Pires claimed the assault is an “isolated incident” in the department, which is composed of 12 black officers and 78 white officers.
La Mar Gunn, the president of the Central Delaware Branch of the NAACP criticized the police department’s decision to release the video because it could spark riots like in Baltimore and Ferguson.
“This premature release I don’t believe sends the right message, and it places unnecessary risk on members of the community,”
Mayor Robin Christiansen replied by saying that schools and stores in the area were notified prior to the video being leaked. Christiansen said the community has the right to protest, but those, who decide to break the law, will be arrested.
What are your thoughts on this case?
