Police brace for new officer-involved death protocols

WISCONSIN, Madison (AP):

A bill that would put outside agencies in charge of investigating officer-involved deaths could create conflict and confusion for Wisconsin agencies that have traditionally done it themselves, police observers say.

The measure's supporters say the new requirements will counter claims that police protect their own from the consequences of using deadly force. The bill passed the Legislature earlier this year and Governor Scott Walker has signaled that he will sign it into law soon.

Most of Wisconsin's smaller law-enforcement agencies already use outside investigators. But larger departments such as Green Bay, Madison, and Milwaukee have investigated their own for years. Outsiders stepping into their affairs could be met with animosity.

outsiders

"In general, police departments don't like outsiders getting involved in their business, whether it be reporters, researchers or the community in general," said Steven Brandl, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee associate criminal-justice professor.

Fifty-three people died while in the process of arrest in Wisconsin between 2003 and 2009, according to the latest figures from the US Bureau of Justice Statistics. Wisconsin police departments reported that officers killed 41 people between June 2008 and April 2013, according to the state Department of Justice. All the killings were ruled justifiable homicide.

Teen stone-throwers face different fates

BEIT UMMAR, West Bank (AP):

The boys were both 15, with the crackly voices and awkward peach fuzz of adolescence. They lived just a few minutes away from one another in the West Bank. And both were accused of throwing stones at vehicles, one day after the other.

But there was a crucial difference that helped to shape each boy's fate: One was Israeli, and the other Palestinian.

The tale of the two teens provides a stark example of the vast disparities of Israel's justice system in the West Bank, a contested area at the heart of the elusive search for a lasting peace.

While Israeli settlers in the West Bank fall mostly under civilian rule, Palestinians are subject to Israeli military law. Israeli and Palestinian youth face inequities at every stage in the path of justice, from arrests to convictions and sentencing, according to police statistics obtained by the Associated Press through multiple requests under Israel's Freedom of Information Law.

The results can ripple for years.

"Jail destroyed his life," said the Palestinian boy's father.

Only 53 Israeli settler youth were arrested for stone-throwing over the past six years, the data shows, and 90 per cent were released without charge. Five were indicted. Four of those were found "guilty without conviction", a common sentence for Israeli juveniles that aims not to stain their record. The fifth case was still in court as of October, the most recent information available.

By contrast, 1,142 Palestinian youths were arrested by police over the same period for throwing stones, and 528 were indicted. All were convicted. Lawyers say the penalty is typically three to eight months in military prison.

Israel's Justice Ministry said more than five Israeli stone-throwers were indicted in the past six years, but declined to provide examples. Itzik Bam, a lawyer who represents Israeli settler youth, said he knew of 20 Israeli minors in the West Bank indicted for stone-throwing in recent years, including six who pleaded guilty and six who were cleared. He said the other cases are still in court.

reports not comprehensive

The police numbers are not comprehensive because the Israeli army also arrests Palestinian youth and because the state prosecutor also issues indictments against settlers in more serious cases. However, the gap between the numbers for Israelis and Palestinians is clear and wide.

Israel's Justice Ministry said the numbers reflect the fact that Palestinians threw more stones than Israelis, rather than unequal treatment.

Stones have become an iconic weapon in the West Bank, an arid land where they are plentiful. In the past six years, more than half of all arrests of Palestinian youth have been over stone-throwing, which Israel claims can be the first step toward militancy. Extremist Israeli settlers have also adopted the tactic.