After inquests into police shootings, Gillespie vows to face facts

Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie faces every day not knowing whether one of his officers is going to kill or be killed. If errors in judgment are made by police, mistakes will be laid at his feet because he's the boss. He sets standards and policies, whether they're followed or not.

As the media and public demand quick answers about what happened with Erik Scott and Trevon Cole, Gillespie urges people to wait for the coroner's inquests.

The high-profile shooting at Costco resulted in the death of Scott, 38, whose education at the U.S. Military Academy, combined with conflicting witness reports, already has convinced many the shooting should never have occurred.

Then there's the Cole case. He was shot and killed by police while a questionable search warrant for marijuana was being served in June. Cole, 21, supposedly made a furtive movement. Turns out, Cole had no weapon, unlike Scott, who was carrying two guns when he was killed.

Gillespie has been burned in the past for making statements that weren't accurate.

Remember May 7, 2009? That was the day officer James Manor was killed while rushing to a false domestic violence call from a teenage girl. Manor's cruiser crashed into Calvin Darling's vehicle. Darling was arrested for DUI and jailed overnight.

The sheriff essentially blamed Darling for the crash. After Manor was buried, the sheriff admitted the information he released the day of the crash wasn't accurate.

Manor was speeding at 109 mph in a 45 mph zone, without his red lights or siren. He wasn't wearing his seat belt. Oh, and Darling wasn't drunk.

The police recently settled with Darling for $120,000. With insurance payments, Darling attorney Sean Sullivan said, the amount rose to $150,000. Darling received $101,000 while the rest went to attorney fees and costs. Darling has moved on, Sullivan said.

Darling has been vindicated.

Gillespie learned from the Darling case. He said he wasn't deliberately fed misinformation about the accident, but he learned that police at the scene should have asked more pointed questions.

"They had a witness account at the scene that said his lights were on. They didn't clarify it was headlights, not the red lights," Gillespie said. "I learned a lesson at that time to continually ask questions about information being provided."

He has since changed two policies. Officers should go no faster than 20 mph over the posted speed limits and they are required to wear seat belts.

As for the recent shootings, Gillespie asked, "What did officers see, what did they understand the situation to be? Why did they choose to do the action they did under those circumstances?"

Those are questions to be answered at the inquests.

He welcomes the questioning and analysis of police actions.

"You're not going to see me hide from it. You're not going to see me run from it," he said. "Understand that many of these decisions are split second. ...

"After due process does its part, I'll step in and do my part," he said, referring specifically to the Cole case.

"When I drive home at night, I think about the good things occurring within my organization, and I know they far outweigh anything that's currently in the spotlight."

Gillespie isn't perfect. He doesn't run a perfect organization. The sheriff is no fool. He knows policing always needs improvement, and his commitment to that seems both sincere and unwavering. He's not a status quo, let's go along and get along sheriff.

Whatever the final facts about the shootings of Erik Scott and Trevon Cole, if it turns out they were unnecessary or avoidable deaths, Gillespie won't duck responsibility. Nor should he.

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/morrison.