Shreveport Councilwoman Calls for “Reform or Defund Police”
Shreveport City Councilwoman LeVette Fuller says it is time to change how we police in our city. She says we must reform the department or defund it.
She says this is the fault of decades of "sweeping things under the rug because we didn't want to air our dirty laundry and tell the truth about what's going on." Fuller says "This is years of black police officers saying they're being mistreated and saying they are in a toxic work environment." Fuller adds: "This is years of all officers being told that you don't break the code, you don't rat on fellow officers."
The Councilwoman also had this to say about what's happening with officers who might not need to remain on the force:
We are taking dysfunctional officers, botching the system, and then putting them where we think they won't be a problem and causing more problems. This is years. You can't point the finger at Adrian Perkins on this. You can't point the finger at Ben Raymond. What you can do is demand an investigation by an external organization.
These comments come after 4 Shreveport police officers were placed on leave this week once video was released showing how officers handled the arrest of 44-year-old Tommie McGlothen Jr. The video shows him punched, kicked, tased and maced and then tossed in the back of a police car. McGlothen later died. The D.A. is investigating the case.
Click here to read Caddo Parish Coroner Todd Thoma's report on McGlothen's death.