It's been nearly two months since IMPD police officers shot and killed Mack Long after he fled police following a minor traffic stop. Initially, IMPD claimed Long, who was carrying a handgun, had fired shots at both officers attempting to apprehend him, causing minor injuries to them. That turned out to be completely untrue. One of the police officers wore a body cam that captured the shooting, while a private citizen recorded the shooting scene as well. IMPD and Marion Co. Prosecutor Terry Curry refuse to make those videos public as police agencies across the country have done in similar situations. They are hiding behind the investigative records exception to the public records law to shield the videos from public disclosure.
The family of Mack Long is now starting an online petition to urge greater transparency in the investigation of the case, including the public disclosure of the videos. Fox 59 News' Jill Glavan says Long's widow, Debbie Long, is leading the petition drive. “The entire family is hurting because we need answers as to why my husband was gunned down,” Debbie Long said . . . “I really believe that that video is the key to unlock what we did not see and what we don’t understand as a family,” Debbie Long said . . . “This is important to us. We need closure, we need an understanding. We need to know that we can believe in our police department and trust that they’re going to do the right thing at all costs,” Long said.
I couldn't agree more. Our local media is constantly running stories about IMPD that read and sound more like press releases than legitimate news reporting. It's amazing that media everywhere else in the country put enormous public pressure on the police to be more transparent in providing information on these types of police-action shooting cases. Most of the Indianapolis media have just brushed off repeated inconsistencies in information reported by IMPD to the public about their police officers' conduct and actions. If Public Safety Director Troy Riggs and IMPD Chief Rick Hite are really serious about transparency in police as they claim they are, then the media should start making their actions match their rhetoric. If the video of Mack Long's shooting supports their contention the shooting was justified, then why are they so reluctant to show it to the public?
14 comments:
If the Blacks of Indianapolis had any backbone, they would have made Indy look worse than Baltimore over Mack Long.
The cops are minding their manners in Baltimore, Blacks.
When are Indy Blacks going to stand up and make the cops act properly or make the City learn a very hard lesson about how to treat people?
Indy Blacks are a national embarrassment over their lack of action on Mack Long.
If you want to kick open another suspect shoot, look at the absolute lack of investigation done on the guy who supposedly killed the Butler cop, a few years back.
Here's the problem for Curry. He's seen the tape. If it's a bad shoot, bad shoots carry a murder charge. If Curry is concealing a bad shoot from the public, or otherwise failing to prosecute, Curry would have become an accessory-after-the-fact to murder; he would have conspired to violate Long's civil rights; he would be committing an obstruction of justice; he would have violated his oath of office, and his attorney's oath, and about a dozen more charges a real prosecutor could think up.
Curry's refusal to open public records might be all that stands between cops serving on the force and being strapped down and given a needle.
And a dash cam is not an investigative record. What an idiotic argument. Any decent attorney should be able to win on this point in front of an honest judge.
Well I see Al Sharpton chimed in on this discussion. Ignorance and violence preached in the first two posts. Why don't you two just go back into Liberal-land and spew your violent and divisive rhetoric?
Bottom line, the question should go to Curry why his grand jury isn't done yet. Then the investigation is over.
Remember, Mr. Long was armed. He & his family had a very violent history that includes guns.
I see the cowardly cops have shrieked a frightened bleat.
Mack Long was unarmed.
The tape proves it.
That's why the cops won't let the tape be seen.
And, cop, since when is it legal to murder people because of their families?
Show the tape, Cops & Curry.
Gotta agree with 2:27 on this. I wouldn't release any info to Advance Indiana, knowing there's crap stirring racists like 12:48 out there posting stupid comments, trying to rile up the black populace to riot....... What an idiot!
The video shows a much different version of events than told by IMPD. That's why they won't release it. This is Indy. They figure if they just don't talk about it for a few months, then all will be forgotten. That's a pretty sure bet considering how bad the local news media is when it comes to reporting on police misconduct.
Anon 12:48, 1:08, 4:45, 7:42: Anarchy Does NOT Rule Indianapolis. Shove it into your Liberal-land, perhaps NYC, Seattle, or Spokane would serve your interests.
We recognize the George Soros influence and reject George Soros!
Anon 9:31PM. Anarchy is the lack of government, not the totalitarian-lite version we currently have. Give me Anarcho-capitalism or give me death! Read a little Murray Rothbard and Lew Rockwell before slurring actual anarchism.
Here's the truth oppressed Americans have unfortunately had to teach the government -
WHEN CITIES BURN, COPS LEARN
Like we saw with that video from McKinney, Texas this weekend when cops pulled a gun at a girls' pool party. Giving every cop a gun is a bad idea.
Mack Long was pulled over for a traffic violation. Traffic isn't even criminal - it's a civil infraction, and the cops escalated a civil matter to murder. That wouldn't have happened without the gun. In McKinney, a cowardly cop almost killed some girls over not even a civil matter.
Cop guns don't belong everywhere. Patrol cops need to start leaving their guns at the station.
With less cops guns, the oppressed citizens have to send fewer of these messages -
WHEN CITIES BURN, COPS LEARN
Just release the tape so we know what we have to do to Indy. Curry's supposed to be doing one thing here only - putting bad cops in jail or letting them go if they;'re good cops. He's not supposed to be managing his process to keep riots from happening. That's not his concern. Curry already looks really bad by not releasing the tape.
Someone needs to call the Sharpton show and see if he can get the tape released. Put out the tape Curry, before Sharpton or CNN starts putting your name up on the screen with a tag "Prosecutor refuses to relase video tape."
Don't let it get to this -
WHEN CITIES BURN, COPS LEARN
JUSTICE FOR MACK LONG
JUSTICE FOR EVERYBODY IN INDY.
Everybody in Indy has a dead relative or friend story of someone who's been killed by the cops.
Oh, those mindless slogans... the hallmark of a left liberal who cannot think for him or herself. Pretend intelligence.
"Cop guns don't belong everywhere. Patrol cops need to start leaving their guns at the station.
With less cops guns, the oppressed citizens have to send fewer of these messages"
baltimore's crime rate is certainly proof of that!
Anon 9:04 know what slander is? Did you see his brother on the news admitting that he fled because he had a gun? Do you know he & his family has a long criminal history?
As for calling his death "murder", perhaps you better learn about slander.
As for your promotion of anarchy, there is no excuse for anarchy. Do you work for George Soros? If you want anarchy, I suggest you move to Iraq, Iran, or Afghanistan.
Anon 9:04 - I don't have nor know of any dead friends or relatives killed by cops as you wrongfully embellish.
"Did you see his brother on the news admitting that he fled because he had a gun?"
Really? You're saying this statement is true? Perfect.
You've just admitted that Long didn't intend to hurt the cops or to do any harm to the police, whatsoever, and he did everything possible to remove himself from the cops' presence.
The cops, not being satisfied with his pacifism, killed him.
Got it.
"As for calling his death "murder", perhaps you better learn about slander."
Looks like your crack legal defense just got the cops the death penalty.
IMPD is in a real bad position. There is no good excuse for this murder.
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