Key moments in the June 19 incident involving police handling of Richard "Randy" Cox.
As protesters prepare to march through New Haven to demand “justice for Randy” Cox, Connecticut U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said her office stands ready to help if needed.
Avery made the comment in a statement released Wednesday, referring to the June 19 incident in which Richard “Randy” Cox was hospitalized and paralyzed after his head crashed into the wall of a police transport van and then cops dragged his body along the floor of the 1 Union Ave. detention center. State police are currently investigating the incident; five officers have been placed on administrative leave.
“My office is closely monitoring the ongoing investigations into the circumstances that have left Mr. Randy Cox paralyzed and hospitalized after being taken into custody by the New Haven Police Department on June 19,” Avery stated.
“My prayers are with him and his family. All suspects taken into police custody must be afforded timely and appropriate medical care in the event of an emergency. Mayor Elicker and Chief Jacobson have acted expeditiously and reported publicly on some actions already taken at the local level in response to this incident, including the suspension of several officers involved pending further investigation, and they have stated a commitment to reform NHPD practices. The Connecticut State Police are investigating the matter, and we will continue to coordinate with them and our other law enforcement partners at the state and federal levels. If federal action is warranted, the Justice Department will pursue every available avenue to the full extent of the law.”
Former Assistant Police Chief John Velleca predicted Tuesday during an interview on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program that the Justice Department might eventually examine a pattern of incidents like the Cox case in New Haven, with the possibility of negotiating a consent decree to bring about changes.
The NAACP, the Cox family, and attorney Ben Crump are organizing the March for Justice from the Stetson Branch Library on Dixwell Avenue to police headquarters this Friday beginning at 5 p.m. (with set-up at 4).
Both the NHPD and the City showed a level of transparency that sets a new standard.
The failures that resulted in Mr. Cox's injuries and paralysis are systemic - insensitive and brutal personnel who failed to follow minimal standards, plus a failure to demote or fire staff clearly psychologically unfit for duty.
The new Chief takes office with a high degree of community support, but how does he undo decades of discrimination and abuse that was long protected by the thin blue line and the politicians who never challenged it?
It is not enough to keep tinkering around the edges. We need to hit the pause button and convene the community and professional resources to re-imagine a public safety office (just lose police "force") that truly serves the people without military style weapons or an attitude that says "I am the law".
Change will not come from the politicians or from inside the NHPD or any PD; it will only come from a fierce public demand.
After all, we are still at a stage where we can't abolish the torture called solitary confinement, even though it is considered a crime in most civilized countries.