Police use of force expert analyzes Firestone CLC incident

Signal Akron asked Tim Dimoff, a veteran of the Akron Police Department, to analyze surveillance camera footage from an Oct. 16 incident at the Firestone Community Learning Center in which a school staff member punched a student three times in the head.

The teen tried to avoid the metal detectors at the school’s entrance – the school resource officer, along with another contracted Akron police officer, were trying to restrain the student when the beating was delivered.

Dimoff, who often serves as an expert court witness in use-of-force cases, offered his insight into the appropriateness of police officers’ actions.

The conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What was the first thing the police officers did when they encountered the student?

“You’ll see the officers move into the lane because they don’t want the student to get out of the lane because then they have a lot more area to go to and flee or flee. It’s better to contain them in this lane area, and that’s exactly what they’re doing here. That’s what they did to move forward here.”

Why did officers first make contact with the student?

“He made gentle contact with him on the trail and didn’t stop. The student probably knew what was going on, knew that something went wrong, or knew that he had done something wrong. And that’s why he’ll keep moving, otherwise he’ll be completely in the dark. … He may not be sure they wanted him. Either he knows and wants to keep moving to escape them, or he had no idea.

At that point, the officer actually becomes a little more aggressive, walking toward her and partially blocking her, touching her, and putting his hands on him to certainly tell the student, ‘We want to talk to you.'”

Why should officials contact the student?

“Because the student did not successfully pass through the electronics without triggering an alarm. That means he has something on him – it could be anything from a phone to a gun to a knife and so on. And in terms of process and procedure, they don’t want to let them get past those tables because he set off the electronic alarm. There’s most likely something about him that isn’t allowed in school.”

When did the situation with the student begin to escalate?

“As you can see, the officers are talking to him. But the student now walks past the officers and tries to get past them. And the student completely violates the officials’ instructions. And I’m assuming he didn’t get through without setting off the alarm.

At this point, this student is not listening to them and is struggling to physically get past them. And I would say he’s probably pretty frustrated that they’re not letting him through. They are frustrated that he doesn’t listen to their instructions and doesn’t follow safety guidelines. This student is definitely violating policy. These officers are frustrated, and now the situation is escalating a little more physically.”

How did the officers attempt to physically control the student?

“Apparently they are now trying to gain physical control over him in one way or another. Either make him empty his pockets or grab him and search him.”

What do you think went through the officers’ minds as the situation escalated?

“I think at this point the officers may think he has a weapon on him, he has a weapon.”

And it is our duty to take this weapon or weapon away from him, because this student has been going back and forth too many times, resisting too much and now his physical condition is escalating. So I think the mindset of these officers is evolving into what they fear.”

What happens if one of the officers falls to the ground?

“It will only fall if resistance increases. So now we have two officers feeling increasing resistance, and now one officer falls, which tells that second officer, “Hey, this is getting really bad.” The first officer is already saying, “I got knocked down, whatever “Whether I’ve lost my balance or not, I can’t do that unless the resistance increases.” At the moment, both are of the opinion that this student is reaching a higher level of resistance.”

Why did the Firestone CLC director move the tables?

“I think it was a good idea for the principal to push the table aside because she assumes the student will continue to resist. The resistance could escalate very badly, the officers are trying to physically manipulate him, and I think she believes they have to or probably will take him to the ground. I don’t want them to hit the table and for him to hit his head on the table. So she moves the table to give the officers more legroom so they can take him to the ground.”

Were the officer’s beating justified?

“It is clear from this video that the officer was not in danger of serious injury or death as a result of the student’s aggression. … They didn’t have to beat him. Taking him to the ground was perfectly acceptable.”

Did other adults on site respond appropriately?

“What was done very well here by the administrators, teachers and adults was that they stood between the officers and the students. And as you can see, they had their hands raised telling the students to stay back and they were acting as a buffer between the officers and the students. Their actions, the adults’ actions, prevented other students from lunging at an officer, kicking him or doing anything else, and those adult workers there did a great job of acting as a buffer between the officers and other students. “

Did you notice anything else special about the arrest or the situation?

“I think basically it comes down to what the protocol and the acceptable procedure is when you’re met with resistance and it’s, it’s, it’s back to the basic principle of what they call the use of force continuum. This means your actions must match the aggression coming your way, or go a step further to prevent it, stop it, and protect yourself as an officer. And once again, this student, yes, resisted on multiple occasions, tried to get around it, was aggressive, but none of this student’s actions truly endangered either officer.”