LANSING, Mich. — Where some people see excessive force by Lansing police in the video below... a retired sheriff says he thinks the officers showed restraint when the suspect wouldn't cooperate.
Body camera of Officer Howley 6-14-19 (Source LPD)
Carla Bayron talked with a former sheriff about the controversial striking technique the officer used on the teenager.
Former Eaton County Sheriff Rick Jones had a 31-year career in law enforcement and he says a strike to the leg was the safest way to control the girl who was resisting arrest.
"You always want a police officer to use the least amount of force necessary to control a situation," said Jones.
But it was the repeated strike to the leg performed by the Lansing officer that had Tonia Lilly, the 16 year old's mother very upset.
"Regardless of if she was resisting or not, she shouldn't have been punched. Point, blank, period," she said.
Lansing Chief Yankowski told us that the technique used was taught in training and called 'strike to her thigh.'
Rick Jones says that each police department trains its officers differently, but the move used is one that actually shows restraint.
"I think in many cases there would've been pepper spray used. Possibly a taser used. Simply striking the leg only to try to get the person to cooperate seemed to be the least amount of force at that point to control it."
He added that officers should always try to de-escalate a situation.
He said, "It was becoming volatile around the police car. The community was screaming and they may have feared if we don't make this arrest quickly, it could escalate into something more quickly. and you never want that to happen."
He told us that he was glad that there wasn't more force used.
"The person under arrest was never struck in the face. Was never struck in the head. It appeared to be that officers were following their training to put this person under arrest and safely get this person to the jail or holding center."
Of the two officers, one has been with Lansing Police for a year and the other, six months.
Jones added that it's not uncommon for young officers to respond to a scene together due to staffing issues.
The officers are on administrative leave while the department investigates the use of force during that arrest on Friday.
They could face penalties ranging from counseling to termination.
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