On Tuesday at 6 p.m. the second Citizen’s Police Academy class took place at the Westfield Police headquarters.
Det. Lt. David A. Ragazzini led the class and talked about what made up a crime and also the circumstances in which an officer can arrest somebody.
This was informative because it showed that there were a lot of technicalities in the law that blurred the lines for eligibility to arrest or charge someone.
A review of the Miranda Rights and when an officer is eligible to read them was also discussed. Even when a police officer has arrested someone they do not have to Mirandarize them unless they begin questioning.
“When you arrest, you’re taking away someone’s liberties so there is a certain responsibility that goes with it that should not be taken lightly,” Ragazzini said.
Crimes and police officers’ response to them have evolved over time, said Ragazzini.
He brought up domestic violence and said that laws have become stricter at a state and federal level. This has led to more education and awareness for officers and better attention paid to victims.
The class also learned that a restraining order violation is the only time that officers are required by law to arrest the violator.
Officers who deal with the mentally ill were also addressed. Ragazzini said that the intent behind a criminal act is not the same for everyone, especially if they have a different mental capacity, illness, or substance abuse problem.
This surprised me. Sergeant Eric Hall and I disagreed on the protocol that Springfield officers took when they shot and killed mentally ill David Kingsbury, 34, who was holding a weapon at the time he was shot.
Officers knew that Kingsbury was mentally ill and was also found to be mixing alcohol and marijuana with his medications.
“Tasers are a phenomenal tool,” Hall said in the first class. “There’s no permanent damage. They’re minimally invasive. If a person has say a knife on them, it will stop them. In my opinion, they are the best tool we have.”
“They’re the worst five seconds for that person,” Hall continued. “But the police officer has time to gain control of the situation.”
Ragazzini said that when dealing with an altercation that becomes violent, he must put himself in control of the situation to protect himself.
“It comes down to coming home safely at the end of the day,” he said.
“We always have to play by the rules. We have a burden, but the rules change. Sometimes we don’t know the rules change until after we play the game,” he said.
Officers are trained to handle situations to the best of their knowledge despite this, he said.
A sign hung up in the classroom read, “It is better to have mastered a skill that is not needed than to need a skill that is not mastered.”
Questions were asked about what police thought about have body cameras on their uniform. Some wondered that in the case where they may be needed, it is likely that they could come off or footage could become blurry.
“Personally, I think it would help us more than hurt us,” said Ragazzini. He said that it would record the circumstance from start to finish instead of where bystanders may start to film at any given point of a situation.
“I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t think they’re being filmed on a day-to-day basis,” Ragazzini said. He explained that the public is constantly filming and posting video to social media, and city cameras are also implemented.
This took me by surprise. I am constantly filming, taking pictures, Snapchatting… I am aware of the cameras on traffic lights and surveillance, but I never thought about it on a bigger scale; everyone is watching everyone. Something bothered me about that.
Depending on the location of the crime, police officers may not be able to handle the crime. If a crime was to happen in Ware but the persons involved were from Westfield, Ware would take it up. If it is a state police matter, the matter is divided by county.
“We are pretty savvy at not doing an investigation if we don’t have to,” said Ragazzini.
If the person involved leaves the state when the crime happens, it becomes that state’s responsibility to enforce the law.
“It’s a lot more difficult to be a police officer in Massachusetts than other places and that’s due to the political climate we live in,” said Ragazzini.
Erika Hayden is a WSU student, citizen journalist and grassroots writer.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
