Farmington Hills Police Department Chief Jeff King has issued a statement after local officers were accused of utilizing images of Black men for target practice. Moving forward, King says that the department is conducting a legal review of the matter.
“We have a diverse community,” King said, according to The Hill.
“Our community, as well as our department, is diverse, inclusive, and that doesn’t stop at our training.”
The Farmington Hills Police Department in Michigan found itself in hot water after a family reportedly witnessed photos of Black men “riddled” with bullet holes in police target practice. From there, the matter was taken to attorney Dionne Webster-Cox who presented the issue to the public via a Facebook post.
“These organizations and municipalities must practice radical honesty in acknowledging their negative biases and find ways to change. Otherwise, you will have even bigger discrimination cases and more lawsuits against the city of Farmington Hills, its school districts, and the police department,” Webster-Cox stated, according to The Hill.
“I usually don’t comment on posts but this is quite disturbing for me because this is literally in my backyard,” one nearby resident commented in response to Webster-Cox’s post.
King has said that “nothing hurts [him] more” than to know that the local community is hurting. However, he has told reporters that the targets that his department uses meet Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards. Furthermore, King claims that 85% of the targets used featured images of white people and only 15% were of Black people.
“Having a mix of these non-threat and threat targets in an active training situation is the preferred method to train officers and prepare them to make a split-second decision when it comes to a lifesaving, life-taking or nonthreat situation,” King reportedly said.
The matter will continue to be investigated. No punishments have been handed down at this time.
