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Boston Globe - United States
02 August 2007

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Officer's firing called Latino

The firing of a Lawrence police officer accused of excessive force in a number of cases was hailed by activists last week as a victory for the Latino community, while others said the dismissal was proof that the department can police itself.

Officer Kyle Wilcox, a threeyear veteran of the department, was fired last month by Mayor Michael J. Sullivan after an internal investigation found that Wilcox "willfully mistreated a prisoner" he arrested in January.

Persio Acevedo, a local activist who recently organized an American Civil Liberties Union forum on police misconduct in Lawrence, said the dismissal hardly absolves the Police Department of other alleged abuse cases.

"This is not about one specific case or one person," Acevedo said. "It's about getting us on the right track so we can have a better police department."

The Spanish-language newspaper Siglo21 said the firing had a deeper meaning for the city. Last week, the weekly newspaper ran Wilcox's photo under the headline "Victoria de la comunidad Latina de Lawrence," or "A victory for the Latino community of Lawrence." In an accompanying editorial, the paper said the firing was also a victory for the Latino press, among them Siglo21, for writing about police brutality for more than a year.

But Police Chief John Romero said Wilcox's termination was no victory for any ethnic group but the result of a straightforward investigation into the actions of one officer that began weeks before Siglo21 or any other newspaper began writing about it.

"This was not about race, and it's a shame that some people are trying to make it so," said Romero. "The Lawrence Police Department has an obligation to look into any allegation of wrongdoing involving one of its police officers."

Sullivan agreed. The actions of one officer aren't "what this city is about," he said.

Wilcox could not be reached for comment. He can appeal his termination at a hearing scheduled for Sept. 28.

His dismissal stemmed from his arrest in January of Lawrence resident Eusebio Alicea, 19, who accused Wilcox of beating him at the police station following a chase that resulted in a marijuana possession charge.

In a letter to Wilcox last month, Sullivan wrote, "Your conduct calls into question your ability to comport yourself in accordance with the laws that you have been sworn to enforce."

For months this year, Wilcox had been at the center of a number of alleged cases of police brutality, highlighted both in Spanish-language newspaper stories and on fliers passed around City Hall. One of the most highly publicized cases involved two brothers, Moises and Rubenito Fernandez, who accused Wilcox of beating them at the police station following a Dec. 22 arrest over a tenant dispute. Moises Fernandez alleged that Wilcox knocked him unconscious and damaged his ear.

The brothers went public with their case, speaking at various forums that included displays of photographs showing their injuries. Their cases became a rallying cry for others who had complained that excessive force by Lawrence police had gotten out of hand.

But not everyone believes the cases involving Wilcox is evidence of a pattern in the department.

A coalition of neighborhood groups recently circulated a "letter of recognition" in support of Romero and his department. The letter highlights examples of police actions that have reduced crime in the city to a 30-year low.

Ed Anderson, president of the South Common Central Neighborhood Association and one of the signers of the letter, said the Wilcox firing shows that the department has the ability to police itself.

"I don't know how you can blame the chief" for abusive officers, said Anderson. "People like that don't belong on the force, if it's true."

Following the publicity around the ACLU forum, a group of volunteers formed a task force to address the cases of alleged police misconduct.

The group recently sent Romero a letter asking to meet with him.

Acevedo, a member of the task force, said he believes the city is "on the right track to having a better police department."

Romero said he would meet with any group wanting to discuss local issues.

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Boston Globe - United States02 August 2007

Officer's firing called Latino

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Boston Globe - United States
02 August 2007