Wrongful shooting cops undergo interrogation

Wrongful shooting cops undergo interrogation

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Armed police officers can be a bit of a paradox. On the one hand,
they can provide the public with a sense of security, while at
the same time posing a threat to the very members of the public
they are meant to be protecting.

Over the last several months, a number of people have been
shot or threatened by on-duty officers and trigger-happy off-duty
cops.

The latest incident occurred last week, when a reportedly
drunk Chief Brig. Didik Haryadi took out his gun and fired into a
crowd inside a bar on Jl. Daan Mogot in West Jakarta.
Miraculously, no one was injured in the shooting.

In an earlier incident, Second Brig. Mohamad Ali reportedly
opened fire in front of a bar in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta.

In March, Indra Rizki, a resident of Kebon Jeruk, West
Jakarta, was hit in the neck by a stray bullet fired by an
officer identified as First Insp. Slamet Riyadi. Indra died in
the hospital several days later.

Police said Slamet was chasing a suspected drug dealer and
opened fire after the suspect refused to stop.

Last year, at least six innocent bystanders, including two
children, were killed by stray bullets fired by police officers.

Immediately after each of these incidents, top officers
promised to come down hard on bad cops. However, it is not clear
if any of these officers have been punished.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Zainuri Lubis said on
Friday none of the cases had been dropped and that the police
were following internal regulations on punishing guilty officers.

Zainuri said there were strict regulations that prohibited
police officers from taking out their guns in public while not on
duty.

He said the two off-duty officers accused of firing their guns
in public had been disciplined.

"We immediately took away their guns. We suspended them from
duty and even locked them up because we have no tolerance for
such misconduct," he told The Jakarta Post.

Zainuri said the process was more complicated for
investigating a shooting by an officer performing his or her
duties. Internal affairs has to look into these shootings to
determine whether punishment is called for.

"Deciding on a punishment takes time because the investigators
have to determine whether the officer followed procedures, was
derelict in his or her duty, or even if the shooting was a
deliberate action," he said.

According to police regulations, Zainuri said, an officer in
pursuit of a suspect is required to fire at least three warning
shots into the air before attempting to stop the suspect with a
nonlethal shot.

"The officer should also consider whether he is endangering
innocent people by firing his weapon. If an officer fires at a
suspect after firing warning shots, and the bullet hits an
innocent bystander, that officer will still be sanctioned for
using poor judgment," he said.

Zainuri said any officer involved in a wrongful shooting could
face criminal charges or an internal hearing. Punishments can
range from jail time, demotion, suspension or a transfer.