East Lansing’s interim police chief is apologizing for saying that some members of an independent oversight commission “hate cops.”
Interim Police Chief Jen Brown told members of the East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission on Wednesday that she didn’t mean to offend anyone during a previous meeting.
“I sincerely apologize for a comment I made at the March meeting,” Brown told the commission. “My intention was not to offend anyone, but I know that I did, so I want to apologize.”
Brown made the initial comment last month after the commission filed a complaint over an officer’s remarks they viewed as racially insensitive.
The complaint stemmed from footage of officers Katey Harrison and Jose Viera responding to a house alarm in August. In the body camera footage reviewed by the commission last year, Harrison made comments to Viera about not being able to read a license plate because “English is your second language, it’s not your fault.”
The commission called Harrison’s comment “hate speech" in their complaint filed in September.
But Viera defended Harrison during the investigation, saying that he “did not feel mad, sad, harassed nor offended” by Harrison’s comment, adding that he often makes jokes himself about English being his second language.
He said the commission should “understand the intent behind such humor is often not to trivialize suffering or to undermine the gravity of a situation, instead it can serve as [a] way for people to confront uncomfortable truths, find solidarity with others who share similar experiences and even build resilience in the face of hardship.”
The police department sustained the commission’s complaint, determining that Harrison violated the City of East Lansing Harassment and Discrimination policy. Harrison received “verbal coaching” from then-Interim Police Chief Chad Pride, who also sent an email reminding all sworn personnel to “be cognizant of what is said when [body worn cameras] are recording.”
Harrison said as part of the investigation that the commission referring to her comment as “hate speech” is “disgusting and slanderous” and added that the commission “has proven its sole purpose is a cop-hating agenda.”
Interim Police Chief Jen Brown stopped short of echoing that statement at the commission’s March 5 meeting, saying “there is not a consensus that the entire commission is cop-hating,” but adding that “there is a belief among our offices — including myself — that there are some individuals on this commission who strongly dislike the police.”
“When I have a conversation with the department, I’m very careful about the language I select. I say there are individuals on this commission who care about making the department a better place,” Brown said. “That doesn’t include everyone at this table, but it’s important for our officers to recognize there are people here who are open-minded. But there are individuals sitting at this table who do hate cops.”
While Brown’s apology during Wednesday's meeting did not spark further discussion, Commissioner Chris Root said she’s hopeful the commission members will be able to put the comments behind them.
“The relationship between an oversight commission and the police administration is always complicated,” Root said. “There are always issues that arise that have to be worked through. It happens all across the country, that is not unusual.”
Brown is one of the candidates to become the permanent police chief. The commission will weigh in during the hiring process.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.