The recent death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the resulting riots in Minnesota and around the nation have been tragic. Furthermore, Floyd’s death was needless. Floyd was being arrested by police on a nonviolent charge. He was handcuffed and on the ground when an officer decided to restrain him further by putting a knee on his neck. Floyd died after pleading for his life, saying he couldn’t breathe.
From a law enforcement perspective, the officer’s action showed either a lack of proper training or a careless disregard of training. As Bastrop County sheriff, first and foremost I will ensure that deputies are trained and instructed to treat all members of the community with dignity and respect. When they must use force, I will ensure that deputies are properly trained to use safest methods of apprehending and restraining someone. If a deputy fails to comply, he or she will not be welcome in my department.
3 thoughts on “Candidate Renck: Police training is key to stopping violence”
It will take MUCH more than just training. Besides higher standards and more thorough training, there needs to be regulated standards of behavior and better vetting. Having a nationwide data base is also crucial. What actually happened in the Yvette Smith case? How did Daniel Willis get hired as a Bastrop County deputy? What were the results of that incident? Is Willis still working in law enforcement? Did Yvette Smith (and family) get justice? What has changed at the sheriff’s department that now ensures this won’t happen again?
In the case of Floyd / Chauvin, it wasn’t a matter of training with this officer. He should not have been in law enforcement.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/07/fdaniel-willis-not-guilty-fatal-police-shooting-yvette-smith-texas
Response from Mike Renck, candidate for Bastrop County sheriff:
I totally agree with you. While training is crucial, the first step is to hire good, highly qualified people who will apply that training every day. That has not always been the case at the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Department, as you probably know. Before being hired, a candidate for employment with my department will be thoroughly investigated and psychologically screened.
As someone outside of the department, I am not privy to the details of the Smith case or the hiring of Willis. Nor do I have information on whether Willis is still working in law enforcement. I sincerely hope not. Also, I am not aware that the current sheriff has made the needed internal changes at the sheriff’s department to ensure this won’t happen again. Given what I have heard about the department, I doubt that he has.
I can only assure you that there will be changes when I am elected sheriff. My Chief Deputy will be tasked with making sure that only the best applicants are recommended to me for hiring. A highly qualified individual has agreed to come work for me as Chief Deputy when I am elected. She is experienced in law enforcement and personnel matters, with a degree in Human Resources.
I agree we need a nationwide database and will use my position as sheriff to support efforts to create one. I will also use my position to lobby the Texas Legislature to pass a bill requiring any disciplinary action by a law enforcement department in the state to be reported to the Texas Commission On Law Enforcement, and maintained on a database at TCOLE as part of the officer’s record.
As sheriff, I will ensure my officers are courteous and respectful, and professionally trained to de-escalate situations rather than make them worse. This all starts by having the best possible people on staff.
Thank you for your response Mike. I am looking forward to you doing well in this election.