Citizens Police Review Board Plans Hearing Over G-20 Protester Treatment [WTAE-TV]

75 Complaints Filed
POSTED: 10:22 pm EDT October 27, 2009

PITTSBURGH -- The Citizens Police Review Board says it wants to hear from the more than 200 people that were arrested during the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, but also plans to hold a hearing with officials to find out why police were trained to act the way the did.

Video: Watch Jon Greiner's Report

"It's not a matter so much of individual officers on the street having done something wrong or engaged in misconduct necessarily, but rather what caused them to be trained the way they were trained and execute the less lethal tactics used in the city of Pittsburgh that were never used before domestically in America," said Elizabeth Pittinger, of the Citizen Police Review Board.
Pittinger mentioned the long-range acoustical device designed to irate the ears of protesters as never before being used as a deterrent on U.S. soil.

She hopes that a new hearing will lead to police being more respectful of people's civil rights in the future.
She cited YouTube video of Chicago police making an arrestee kneel in front of them for a picture as one example of what needs to change.

"The Chicago police department is openly investigating -- they've made no bones about it, they won't tolerate that kind of misconduct. That's something that we should have heard right out of here, particularly when they're serving under Pittsburgh command," said Pittinger.

The review board is exploring hiring a consultant to prepare a report on police action during the G-20.

Pittsburgh City Council is conducting its own investigation.

A total of 75 complaints have been filed by people following the G-20 protests.

Source: http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/21445077/detail.html

Permalink