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Stephen Janis: Taya, thanks for having me. Appreciate it. So first I want to play a clip from Jay Stewart, the lawyer for the family of
Rayshard Brooks. He makes an important point which I think is worth noting here. Why did the officer not show compassion? Let's listen.
Jay Stewart: And people ask, "How could this have ended? Why did he resist? It could have ended there." Well, it also could have ended here. I can walk. My sister's house is right here. That's how this could have ended. It didn't have to go to that level. And that's what we're saying in America with policing, is this type of empathy is gone.
Taya Graham: Stephen, we have talked about this issue repeatedly. Why does it continue?
Stephen Janis: You don't construct the largest prison complex in the world and not have something to put in it, meaning bodies. And in this country that's why so many encounters with police end with arrest, because we've created the largest incarceral state in the history of civilization. So everyone they come in contact with, they feel like they have to arrest. It's part of the concept of blanket criminality, which we've talked to. Instead of letting this man walk home and be done with it, they had to handcuff him and put them in a cage. And that's the problem with American policing and that's problem with American law enforcement.
Taya Graham: So now we have discussed this case before, but I think it's relevant now. It involves a police chief who made the decision to show compassion and not arrest someone under similar circumstances. But Maryland state prosecutor, Emmet Davitt, decided to indict him for not charging the driver. What happened in this case?
Stephen Janis: Kelvin Sewell was the first black police chief of Pocomoke City, a small city on the lower eastern shore. They were dealing with a constant siege from a drug unit called the Worcester County Drug Task Force. Kelvin pushed back and pushed for community policing. He had a case that was extremely similar to what we saw here in Atlanta. He had a man who had driven home, run into two parked cars, drove to his house about two blocks away and had one drink beforehand. He chose not to arrest him and actually deescalate the situation. But then the Maryland state prosecutor has prosecuted him twice for making that decision. It just shows you how law enforcement in this country is unrelenting about arresting people. And in this case, they prosecuted Chief, twice, for resolving something and deescalating it and not resulting in charges. So it just shows you how American law enforcement works as an industry.
Taya Graham: So there's another facet of police involved shootings which you have covered that we can see in this case. We're watching the officers just stand over Brooks as he lay dying. How could the officers not provide aid?
Stephen Janis: Well, the case I was thinking about is the case of Edward Lamont Hunt in 2008, who was shot three times in the back. I interviewed a nurse who said she wanted to render aid to this man, but the police officer told him not to touch him. This is a common refrain I've heard from cases that I've covered in police involved shootings. They treat the body like evidence or property that doesn't deserve or warrant any sort of compassionate treatment. And I think it says a lot about American enforcement, how officers can stand over someone they shot and feel no compassion for this person. It shows a lack of compassion in policing in general.
Taya Graham: And that's the point. And that's the question that needs to be answered. How did American policing evolve, where cops think they can justifiably shoot a man who fell asleep in his car? How does an institution that purports to protect and serve become empowered to be judge, jury and executioner? And more importantly, how do we change it? Can we really reform American policing?
Well, my next guest thinks he may have the answer and it might seem odd. His name is James McLynas and he's running for sheriff and Pinellas, Florida. But what's notable about him is what he isn't. He's not a cop, nor does he have any law enforcement experience. Instead he's been working in the field of consumer protection. But it's his theory that his lack of ties to policing is exactly what makes him the perfect candidate. And so he joins us today to explain why. James, thank you so much for joining us.
James McLynas: Well, thank you very much for having me.
Taya Graham: So first, tell us about your campaign. What made you decide to run for sheriff, given your background?
James McLynas: For a number of different reasons. I've been investigating the corruption of the sheriff's department now for over 10 years and it's really way worse than anyone could possibly imagine. The second reason is I actually feel like I could go in there and fix it and change it and make things better for the County of Pinellas. And the third reason is, I have a daughter who is 17 years old and I don't want her growing up in a community where the police are as corrupt as they are here in Pinellas County. I want to change it, not only for her, but for everybody else that are having these problems all across the country that people are currently protesting against. I sincerely believe that I can put these reforms in place and that's not going to happen from somebody who's a lifelong career police officer.
Taya Graham: So what would be your philosophy? How would you change law enforcement in Florida if you were elected?
James McLynas: First off, we obviously have to have use of force reforms. And there are a number of fantastic use of force performance reforms out there online already. Campaign Zero has one which I adopted, and they're actually an offshoot of Black Lives Matter. And they've gone out and they've researched all of the reforms that are currently working around the world, even IN other police agencies here in America, and they've put it all into one concisive form and I've adopted that form. And not only have I adopted that form, I've actually added to it. Like as an example, I've taken off attack dogs. I don't think that police agencies should have attack dogs like the '60s race riots we saw. And instead of attack dogs and drug dogs, I'm going to be bringing in bloodhounds. And so that way, if the subject is cornered and captured, all they'll do is get licked to death instead of chewed to death.
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