Comments on: No Charges For Boise Top Copper

By: PD

PD — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 02:39:29 +0000

Simpleman, it appears you are wrong. The investigation reveals the demonstration was in response to a patrolman’s questions of if we can’t do a chokehold what can we do? duh! So the chief demonstrated on the nearest person. Hold my gun and watch this. It worked. Seems officer Kirk Rush got bent out of shape and felt “embarassed” by being restrained in the exact manner a citizen might get restrained. A week later he decides to file a claim. One of the witnesses declined to give a testimony in fear of relation. Retaliation by who? If true, the chief is gone. If not true, the gang in favor of exciling the chief is going to retaliate? That is definitely believable. I’ve watched enough movies. D chief is fine, Boise coppers and the system are the worry: I got your blue back. That does not include us citizens.

By: What's the rest of the story please

What's the rest of the story please — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 00:15:25 +0000

Fired: What’s the rest of the story please

https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/boise-police-chief-ryan-lee-resigns-at-the-request-of-mayor-lauren-mclean/277-9c9b6ac7-460d-4a09-911e-b4c6e46d024b

By: Simpleman

Simpleman — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 02:12:19 +0000

Frank,
I think that is why “training incident” is in quotes. The original articles indicate it was in briefing and not during normal defensive tactics training. It also appears to have been a somewhat spontaneous decision on the part of Chief Lee to conduct the “training”. Hands on training, especially when it involve neck restraints, is usually done during formal training in a mat room with certified instructors. Officers warm up, know what is going to be demonstrated or practiced and techniques where serious injury is a possibility, are highly controlled. Based on what has been reported previously, none of those safeguards were in place. My humble prediction is the City will pay on this one and we are unlikely to see an actual civil trial.
I might add- supervisors going hands on with subordinates outside of formal training- never a good idea.
And not just in the police world.

EDITOR NOTE–We agree on all counts. However city will probably avoid a trial and settle for cash payoff. Word on the street is city HR has finally decided to “investigate.”

By: frank

frank — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 22:19:29 +0000

“No charges will be filed against Boise’s top copper, Ryan Lee, following an investigation by Idaho State Police and the Clearwater county prosecutor into a “training incident” involving a choke hold.”
Simpleman my response was based on what was in print in the above article?

By: Warren Tyler

Warren Tyler — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 18:53:22 +0000

I think this reporting is skewed based on The Statesman’s article which goes into a lot more detail. I think the point in the article that is important is that the PA believed there was evidence of battery…. Read the full Statesman article as it is insightful and goes into more (proper) detail.

By: Simpleman

Simpleman — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 03:17:56 +0000

Frank,
The incident happened in briefing per the article. Briefing is a short meeting where officers get assignments, info etc. for the day before heading out on patrol. It appears the officer believed the chief acted negligently and as a result caused an injury. If this was a citizen who believed an officer had acted negligently and caused an injury, said citizen has every right to sue. Officer doesn’t lose his rights simply because he is a public employee on duty. Negligent doesn’t always equal criminal and vice versa. The criminal prosecution doesn’t appear to be moving forward but the civil case will now decide if the chief was negligent civilly.

By: western guy

western guy — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 14:43:05 +0000

If the Chief’s Portland allegations/reports were credible, why didn’t the Boise HR vetting process unearth them?

By: frank

frank — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 14:22:19 +0000

We should be more disgusted that a public servant that gets injured, in training, on the job thinks it is okay to sue you and me?

By: Harvey

Harvey — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 15:46:59 +0000

Bubba is right. With a grand jury 12 members of the community would make the decision to go to trial instead of a single prosecutor. At the very least a grand jury could give an indication of what 12 citizens thought of the Chief’s actions that resulted in the neck injury. Now we wait for the non-disclosure civil settlement from the city of Boise and the Mayors office.

By: Bubba

Bubba — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 00:19:36 +0000

There’s clearly a double standard in the Idaho criminal justice system. Lee’s case won’t be prosecuted even though, as Tyler writes, “I will note that this was a very difficult decision, as I feel probable cause exists to support a felony criminal charge of aggravated battery, but have reservations as to the State’s ability to prove the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.” How do we know what the ability is to prove an offense unless it goes to trial? Isn’t that the purpose of a trial? Guilty verdicts should never be guaranteed to prosecutors before a trial. This case should have been handed over to a grand jury to decide.

Charges were however filed against Aaron Von Ehlinger, and a guilty verdict obtained by the state, despite the paucity of evidence! How can we allow this to happen? Even if there were no evidence in the case against Lee, they could have easily won a guilty verdict against him given the right combination of a dishonest, vicious prosecutor, lying news media, and a jury of low intelligence, easily swayed by emotion.