MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Representatives with the Morgantown Civilian Police Review and Advisory Board want to meet with members of local law enforcement to review policies related to use of force.
In response to anonymous written concerns submitted to the board members over a police interaction during St. Patrick’s Day weekend and unconfirmed reports of U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids taking place at certain Morgantown businesses, Board Vice-Chair Rachel Fetty called for an independent policy review meeting with Morgantown Police Chief Eric Powell to discuss what took place regarding interactions with large crowds and what will take place involving federal agencies. This coincided with calls for meetings with administrators with the West Virginia University Police Department to get a better detail over what they were told to do in response to a large gathering along North High Street that resulted in crowd dispersements that, for some, were considered unnecessary.
“We request to review use of force (policies) in crowded and enclosed spaces, and the second one is an inquiry regarding a request of collaboration from ICE,” said Fetty on the request that will be formally made to the Morgantown Police Department.
The response in question from St. Patrick’s Day weekend stems from the now widely seen video where Morgantown police officers were seen dispersing a large crowd that was throwing objects at officers. Despite a review with the board with Morgantown Police Chief Eric Powell regarding the reasoning behind using crowd-dispersing tools, Fetty supported a separate meeting to review the policies focused on what happens if someone is unable to comply with orders to leave a vicinity. (Fetty stated that a potential complaint could be filed by a WVU student against MPD who claims they were unable to leave the North High Street residence, despite no arrests or injuries reported.) For board member Megan Gandy, she called for a meeting with WVU Police Chief Sherry St. Clair after she felt that, based on the conversations with Chief Powell, MPD was placed in a position to deal with the brunt of any criticism as a result of the incident.
“My own impression is that (WVU) Campus Police sort of wiped their hands of even preventative measures, so I think the onus does fall to MPD (unfairly),” said Gandy as part of a recommendation to speak with St. Clair regarding the St. Patrick’s Day incident. “And I’m unclear as to why (that’s the case) when it seems like campus police would be more equipped in working with student populations.”
The second request for a meeting with Morgantown Police Department administration stems from anonymous reports that ICE raids have been conducted in Morgantown area restaurants in recent weeks. While the reports were unconfirmed, Fetty emphasized that the reports could lead to similar complaints filed against Morgantown police officers, despite what is considered a small migrant population in comparison to other parts of the country. With no formal reports of any ICE interactions with Morgantown police officers outside of statements made on social media, Fetty hopes that Chief Powell will help clear the air on what MPD intends to do if immigration enforcement is taken on a large scale in the Morgantown area.
“So what I’ve been hearing in the community is that it’s primarily been raids on restaurants, there’s just concerns about the policies that MPD has at this time,” said Fetty. “And it would be helpful to hear from MPD about what they’re asked to do and what (exactly) they’re doing at this point.”
The hope for the Morgantown Civilian Police Review and Advisory Board is that the potential meetings with both the brass for the Morgantown Police Department and the WVU Police Department are to get clarity on policies for both departments. This is aimed to not only get more information on policies that can be later explained to the public at large but also to ease concerns from Morgantown residents and WVU parents who have reached out to members of the board over the past few months related to the anonymous reports. While no formal date was recommended, the board feels the meetings could be a great opportunity to not only clear the air on public concerns but also to build relationships in the process.
“It would go towards helping facilitate better ‘town and gown’ relationships and certainly helping on the part of the public,” said Fetty. “About the different boundaries of each department’s activities, I’d be very interested in that conversation.”