Feds won't prosecute Miles case: No Justice for Unarmed Black Man Assaulted by Pittsburgh Police
Friday, May 6, 2011 at 12:16AM From [HERE] and [HERE] The U.S. Department of Justice announced today it has closed its investigation into the 2010 beating of Jordan Miles, saying "federal officials concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt" that three Pittsburgh police officers violated the Homewood teen's civil rights.
Police Chief Nate Harper: "There is no question that Mr. Jordan Miles sustained physical injuries, but there is no evidence to show it was the result of wrongful conduct by the officers."
Jordan Miles, 18, a former student at the city's Creative and Performing Arts high school, said he was brutally attacked by three undercover white police officers on a cold night in January as he walked between his mother's and grandmother's houses in Homewood.
The officers said they confronted Mr. Miles because he appeared to be "sneaking around" a house in the 7900 block of Tioga Street, with a heavy object in his coat that they thought was a concealed weapon. When he was approached by the officers he ran away, but the officers soon caught up with him and beat him into submission by delivering violent blows that left his face swollen and distorted. Police also used a stun gun and pulled out a chunk of his hair. He is 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds and was unarmed.
They charged him with a string of frivilous crimes that a district judge later dismissed.
"The U.S. Attorney's Office, the Civil Rights Division and the FBI, working together, conducted an exhaustive review of the incident, which included interviews of more than 40 witnesses, some on multiple occasions, visits to the scene and careful review of all police reports, medical records, photographs, laboratory reports, cell phone records and other documentation related to the incident," the Justice Department wrote in a statement. "After a lengthy, independent, and thorough review consuming hundreds of hours of agent and prosecutor time, federal officials determined that the evidence was insufficient to prove a federal civil rights violation, beyond a reasonable doubt, against any of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police officers."
Officers Michael Saldutte, David Sisak and Richard Ewing were placed immediately on paid suspenion as the city and the federal government launched investigations into their actions. Today they were reinstated without disclipline.
The incident put a spotlight on strained community-police relations in the neighborhood as residents and activists routinely took to the streets to pressure the government to prosecute the officers, and police officers too have marched in support of their colleagues.
The Justice Department will not pursue criminal charges against the officers, it said today. "They're vindicated," Fraternal Order of Police president Dan O'Hara said. "This was a good day for the officers and for the department. The system works. It leaves very little to the imagination that these guys were doing what they were trained to do."
Officers reinstated [MORE]
Pittsburgh's mayor and police chief announced today that three officers who had been off the job during an investigation into the arrest of Jordan Miles are being reinstated without discipline.
The officers will not be assigned to Zone 5, which includes Homewood, where the controversial arrest occurred, although it wasn't announced where they will be assigned.
Making the reinstatement announcement at a press conference this afternoon, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said it was now time for the city to heal.
Chief Nate Harper said that, "There is no question that Mr. Jordan Miles sustained physical injuries, but there is no evidence to show it was the result of wrongful conduct by the officers."
Mayor: Its All Good
Mayor Ravenstahl on Thursday made a point to address the highly charged emotions that have surrounded the case.
"Now is the time to look into the future," Mr. Ravenstahl said. "It is a time for us as a city to heal the relationships between our police, the men and women who risk their lives every day to keep our citizens safe, and the people they are sworn to protect." [MORE]
Reader Comments (1)