PHOENIX — A 13-year-old Phoenix girl who was punched by a police officer after ignoring commands told her story to the public in a case that might soon be investigated by Roger Smith, the city's new police watchdog.
What did he make of the viral video of the melee?
"It's always disturbing to me when you have an interaction that doesn't end positively," Smith said in his first TV interview Wednesday.
"In this situation, you had force used. And that force was used under unpleasant circumstances," he said. "And it was force that was used against a 13-year-old. That's terrible always when you have a situation like that. But we can be thankful that nobody was seriously hurt."
Smith, 52, is a former prosecutor who's devoted his career to holding police accountable. He comes to Phoenix from Cleveland, where he led the Office of Professional Standards for three years.
As director of Phoenix's new Office of Accountability and Transparency, Smith is believed to be the first city employee with the authority to lead independent investigations of police conduct.
The City Council's creation of the office was the culmination of a decade-long push for greater oversight from communities most-served by police.
Here are five takeaways from our interview:
No Investigation of Punching
Smith won't be investigating the punching incident for now. Right now, he is the first and only OAT employee. Smith's been on the job just two months.
His focus is on getting the office up and running:
- Building up his staff of about 14 people, including research analysts and investigators.
- Informing the public about OAT's mission.
- Opening investigations of new cases of alleged police misconduct sometime in the next several months. The date remains unclear.
Smith's office can make recommendations on discipline, as well as policy and training, to Chief Jeri Williams.
Smith and Williams share the same boss: City Manager Jeff Barton.
"You'll hear from us soon," Smith said
RELATED: Video of teen girl being hit by Phoenix officer is drawing attention and questions from community
'I Know What It's Like to Be Frisked'
Smith was asked how his lived experience as an African-American man had shaped his approach to holding police accountable:
"I've been forced to deal with this from both sides. First, professionally, I've dealt with it from the standpoint of being a prosecutor, also investigating police officers. But I know what it's like to be stopped. I know what it's like to be searched. I know what it's like to be frisked and, generally speaking, accused of things by officers. So I've seen this issue from all sides."
'Lot of Work' to Mend Relationships
"A lot of work" has to be done to mend the police department's relationship with the communities they serve:
Smith: "In some ways, you're only as good as your last incident. But the more of these incidents that go right, the better chance you have of creating an enduring positive relationship with the community. And I think the goal that everybody should have is to create that enduring positive relationship. We see evidence that that relationship is there in some situations, but we also see evidence that it's not there."
12News: "How much work has to be done to make that a positive relationship?"
Smith: "A lot of work, a lot of work, and not just for the one incident. You've got to identify patterns in behavior, you've got to be vigilant about things like the language that's used during the course of incidents, to ensure that provocative things aren't unnecessarily being said. You really have to be vigilant about the whole process, if you want to get it right. And if you want people to believe you're getting it right."
Police Chief Accepts Review Process
Smith said he had a "good meeting" with Chief Jeri Williams:
12 News: "What makes you say it was a good meeting?"
Smith: "The most important thing we look for is willingness to engage and acceptance of the process. And I saw both of those things from Chief Williams."
Williams' department is already under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for its use of force against citizens and alleged retaliation against protesters, as well as sweeps of homeless encampments.
'This Will Benefit You'
Smith's message to police who might be wary of a new layer of review:
"If you do things right, this process will benefit you. It will."
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