Practice English Speaking&Listening with: NYPD Commissioner On Demands For Police Reform: ‘It Starts With Talking’ | TODAY

BRINGING IT TO HIS ATTENTION AS

WELL, SHEINELLE.

>>> MEANWHILE, ANOTHER BIG STORY

THAT BROKE LATE YESTERDAY.

ONE OF THE THREE OFFICERS

INVOLVED IN THE DEATH OF BREONNA

TAYLOR HAS BEEN FIRED.

THE LOUISVILLE POLICE CHIEF

CALLED THE CONDUCT OF NOW FORMER

OFFICER BRETT HANKISON, QUOTE, A

SHOCK TO THE CONSCIENCE AND A

DISCREDIT TO THE DEPARTMENT.

26-YEAR-OLD TAYLOR WAS SHOT AND

KILLED IN HER OWN APARTMENT BACK

IN MARCH WHEN POLICE SERVED

WHAT’S KNOWN AS A NO-KNOCK

WARRANT.

THERE’S NOW A MOVEMENT TO BAN

THOSE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY

THE OTHER TWO OFFICERS REMAIN ON

ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE

>> THE DEATHS OF BREONNA TAYLOR,

GEORGE FLOYD, RAYSHARD BROOKS

MADE THE ISSUE OF POLICE REFORM

A TOP PRIORITY IN THIS COUNTRY

THURMON SHEA IS THE

COMMISSIONERS OF THE NEW YORK

CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS

MORNING.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME

>> MONDAY YOU TESTIFIED AS PART

OF THE NEW YORK ATTORNEY

GENERAL’S INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF

POLICE PROTECTOR INTERACTIONS IN

RECENT WEEKS

AND YOU SAID OUR TRUST AS TAKEN

A HIT.

I THINK WE HAVE TO REGAIN SOME

OF THE TRUST

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT DOING THAT,

COMMISSIONER

HOW DOES THE NYPD REGAIN THAT

TRUST?

>> YEAH, I GET THAT QUESTION

PROBABLY ONCE A DAY.

IT STARTS WITH TALKING

IT STARTS WITH MEETING WITH

PEOPLE, BEING OUT THERE.

AND I’M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT

ME

MORE IMPORTANTLY MY POLICE

OFFICERS, THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO

PUT A UNIFORM ON EVERY DAY

YOU KNOW, WHEN OWE LOOK AT WHAT

WE’VE DONE OVER THE LAST SIX

YEARS TRYING TO BUILD TRUST, I

THINK WE’VE COME VERY FAR.

INSTITUTING NEIGHBORHOOD

POLICING

I WILL TELL YOU THIS FOR FULL

DISCLOSURE

I AM GETTING TONS OF EMAILS AND

CALLS SUPPORTING THE POLICE.

PEOPLE ARE SCARED RIGHT NOW SO

PEOPLE ARE WORRIED TO SUPPORT

THE POLICE

YOU LOSE TRUST VERY QUICKLY.

A COUPLE BAD INCIDENTS, SOME

HERE IN NEW YORK CITY, SOME

ACROSS THE COUNTRY

AND IN THIS ENVIRONMENT, YOU

KNOW, THAT’S THE WORLD WE LIVE

IN NOW

AND PEOPLE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

REALIZE IT AND IT’S UP TO US TO

FIX IT

NOBODY’S GOING TO FIX THIS FOR

US.

>> I’M GLAD YOU HIGHLIGHTED THE

SUPPORT FOR POLICE AS WELL,

COMMISSIONER

DURING THAT HEARING THERE WAS

ONE INCIDENT FROM LAST MONTH

SPECIFICALLY THAT SHOWED POLICE

VEHICLES DRIVING INTO A GROUP OF

PROTESTERS

IT REALLY BECAME UNFORTUNATELY A

SYMBOL OF UNACCEPTABLE USE OF

FORCE.

YOU DEFENDED THE OFFICERS

INVOLVED

YOU SAID THEY WERE SET UPON AND

ATTACKED

THANKFULLY THEY WERE ABLE TO GET

OUT OF THAT SITUATION WITH TO

YOUR KNOWLEDGE NO INJURIES TO

ANYONE

ARE YOU COMFORTABLE SEEING THAT

KIND OF INTERACTION WITH YOUR

OFFICERS ON THE STREETS OF NEW

YORK CITY?

>> THAT PARTICULAR INCIDENT?

LISTEN

ANYONE WHO SEES THAT VIDEO IS

TROUBLED

I AM CONFIDENT THAT WHEN REVIEW

OF ALL THOSE FACTS, THERE’S

MULTIPLE VIDEOS OF THAT

INCIDENT

AS WELL AS IT’S IMPORTANT TO

KNOW THAT WHAT WAS TAKING PLACE

IN THOSE SEVERAL DAYS AND THAT

WAS NOT THE ONLY INCIDENT LIKE

THAT WHERE PEOPLE WERE

ESSENTIALLY TRYING TO TRAP

POLICE CARS, TRAP POLICE

OFFICERS IN CARS AND CORRAL THEM

IN

A LOT OF PEOPLEARE TALKING

ABOUT THE POLICE TACTICS IN

DEALING WITH PROTESTS.

THEY ARE TACTICS BY A SMALL

NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO CORRAL THE

POLICE OFFICERS IN AND ATTACK

THEM

THAT WAS WHAT WAS TAKING PLACE

THERE.

THROWING GARBAGE CANS AT

WINDOWS, ASSAULTING THE COPS,

TRYING TO DRAG THEM OUT OF THE

CAR.

SO THAT -- I RESPECT GREATLY THE

ATTORNEY GENERAL

I THINK SHE’LL DO A GREAT JOB IN

REVIEWING ALL THE FACTS.

IT’S ALSO UNDER REVIEW BY THE

TWO OTHER AGENCIES HERE IN NEW

YORK CITY.

AND I AM CONFIDENT THAT WHEN --

AS WELL AS OUR OWN INTERNAL

AFFAIRS BUREAU

WHEN ALL THE FACTS ARE REVIEWED,

IT’S NEVER GOING TO TURN INTO A

PRETTY VIDEO, BUT I THINK YOU

HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF WHAT WOULD

YOU DO IF YOU WERE THE POLICE

OFFICER THERE?

THANK GOD NOBODY WAS SERIOUSLY

INJURED.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE

THE POLICE OFFICER THERE AS YOU

ARE BEING TRAPPED IN THAT

TERRIBLE SITUATION

PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO ASSAULT

YOU.

AND I DON’T THINK YOU’LL FIND AN

EASY ANSWER TO THAT.

>> COMMISSIONER, LET ME ASK YOU.

THIS WEEKEND THERE WAS MORE TALK

OF APPROPRIATE USE OF FORCE AS A

POLICE OFFICER

I’M SURE YOU’VE SEEN THIS VIDEO

USING A BANNED CHOKEHOLD ON A

MAN IN QUEENS.

I WANT TO SHOW YOU THE VIDEO AT

HOME BUT THE VIDEO IS GRAPHIC.

IT’S IMPORTANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT

THIS BECAUSE THE OFFICER WE KNOW

IS ON SUSPENDED DUTY WITHOUT PAY

PENDING INVESTIGATION.

AND THE MAN ARRESTED THAT PEOPLE

SEE HERE, RICKY BELLEVUE, HE

WENT TO THE HOSPITAL

MR. BELLEVUE’S LAWYER SAID THEY

ARE CALLING FOR THE OFFICER TO

BE FIRED AND HAVE CRIMINAL

CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST HIM.

GIVEN THE ATTENTION THESE TYPE

OF CHOKEHOLDS HAVE RECEIVED

SINCE THE DEATH OF ERIC GARNER

IN 2014, WHY IS THIS STILL

HAPPENING?

>> THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION AND

STATEMENT AND IT SHOULDN’T

HAPPEN

YOU KNOW, THE CHOKEHOLD HAS BEEN

BANNED IN NEW YORK CITY FOR OVER

20 YEARS -- WELL OVER 20 YEARS

YOU KNOW, I TOOK SWIFT ACTION

WHEN I SAW THAT VIDEO.

THE VIDEO IS ABOUT 35 MINUTES IN

ITS ENTIRETY

THE NEGATIVE PIECE OF THE VIDEO

LASTED ABOUT FIVE TO TEN

SECONDS, BUT THAT DOESN’T CHANGE

ANYTHING

THE CHOKEHOLD IS BANNED.

I TOOK SWIFT ACTION.

I SUSPENDED THE OFFICER.

AND WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB

OF MAKING SURE OUR OFFICERS

COMPLY WITH THAT

OUR OFFICERS -- IF YOU SEE THE

ENTIRE 35 MINUTES -- DID SO MUCH

GOOD AND THEN IT WAS ERASED BY

THE ONE OFFICER’S TACTICS IN

FIVE TO TEN SECONDS.

AND WE HAVE TO BE BETTER THAN

THAT

>> IF YOU HAVE AN OFFICER WHO IS

DOING THE BANNED CHOKEHOLD,

SHOULD HE OR SHE BE FIRED?

>> SO WE HAVE A PROCESS HERE

DIFFERENT STATES HAVE DIFFERENT

PROCESSES.

BUT HERE IN NEW YORK CITY AT NEW

YORK STATE, THEY’RE ENTITLED TO

A DUE PROCESS.

WHAT I COULD DO IS WHAT I

ACTUALLY DID DO.

SUSPENDED THE OFFICER WITHOUT

PAY.

THERE WILL BE CHARGES AND A

FORMAL PROCESS NOW THAT’S

UNDERWAY

AND WHEN IT COMES TO ME THROUGH

THAT DISCIPLINARY PROCESS,

THERE’S ACTUALLY A TRIAL

INTERNALLY

AND THERE’LL BE A RANGE OF A

PENALTY THAT COULD COME FROM A

LOW END TO A HIGH END THAT WOULD

INCLUDE TERMINATION.

THAT IS A POSSIBILITY.

>> COMMISSIONER QUICKLY I WANT

TO GET YOUR TAKE ON THIS

MOVEMENT TO REALLOCATE MONEY, TO

TAKE MONEY ALLOCATED FOR POLICE

DEPARTMENTS AND SHIFT THAT MONEY

TO SOCIAL SERVICES OR SCHOOLS OR

SOMETHING ELSE IN A CITY

IT’S GOTTEN UNPRECEDENTED

ATTENTION OVER THE LAST FEW

WEEKS.

INVESTING IN COMMUNITIES WOULD

ADDRESS SOCIETAL PROBLEMS.

COULD FIX MORE ON THE FRONT END

THAN THE BACK END.

IS THAT AN EFFORT WORTH

EXPLORING?

>> I THINK IT’S 100% AN EFFORT

WORTH EXPLORING.

BUT IT IS A DEEPLY COMPLICATED

CONVERSATION

AND THESE DECISIONS, I BELIEVE,

SHOULD NOT BE MADE QUICKLY IN A

CLOSED ROOM WITH THE LIGHTS

TURNED OFF, IF YOU WILL.

YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER WHY SOME OF

THESE DUTIES WERE PUT ONTO THE

BACK OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN

THE FIRST PLACE.

I THINK YOU SHOULD ALWAYS

RE-EVALUATE.

MAYBE THERE’S A BETTER WAY TO DO

THINGS NOW

AND WE ARE CERTAIN OPEN TO THAT.

BUT I THINK YOU ALSO HAVE TO

TAKE A LOOK AT THE CRIME RATES

AND THE LACK OF CONSEQUENCES

THAT EXIST IN NOT JUST NEW YORK

CITY BUT MANY PLACES RIGHT NOW

THAT’S A PART OF THE DISCUSSION

AS WELL.

WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT DEFUNDING

AND HEAD COUNTS.

I MEAN, WE ARE IN A SITUATION

RIGHT NOW IN NEW YORK CITY

WE THINK WE HAVE THE MODEL FOR

THE WHOLE COUNTRY.

AND UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S BEING

BLOCK BY BLOCK DISMANTLED RIGHT

NOW.

WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN

GUN VIOLENCE

WE HAVE A COURT SYSTEM THAT’S

SHUT DOWN.

TO ME IF THE SUPREME COURT CAN

HOLD HEARINGS DURING COVID,

THERE’S NO REASON WHY THE NEW

YORK STATE COURT SYSTEM CAN’T

PROCESS ARRESTS.

AND WE HAVE A SITUATION WHERE

VIOLENT CRIMINALS ARE WALKING

AROUND ON THE STREETS AND

SHOOTINGS AND HOMICIDES ARE

INCREASING

AND WE HAVE TO DO BETTER AS A

SOCIETY.

>> COMMISSIONER DERMOT SHEA,