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Valley police chiefs come together for forum on community relations.

Posted on Updated on Categories:In the News

Valley police chiefs come together for forum on community relations.

ABC 15 -  Valley police chiefs come together for forum on community relations

MESA, AZ — Rather than screams, chants and protests; it was a calm, civil conversation among those who lead some East Valley police departments, and those who live in the cities they serve.

“With everything that’s happening, we gotta do it now," said Pastor Andre Miller, who invited four East Valley police chiefs, and community members to New Beginnings Christian Church off Gilbert Road and Main Street in Mesa. "We can’t just keep kicking the can down the road or keep waiting for the next big incident or next big situation to happen.”

The Valley Concerned Citizens Police Forum, held just days after Phoenix city leaders voted to implement a citizens review board amid several high-profile use of force incidents, drew more than a dozen residents who asked about agency hiring practices, and discipline processes, among other things.

Among attendees, Tempe Police Chief Sylvia Moir, Gilbert Police Chief Mike Soelberg, and Interim-Chief for the Mesa Police Department, Ken Cost. Chief Sean Duggan with the Chandler Police Department was also expected at Friday's forum but told church officials he was unable to attend just hours before the meeting began.

"I hope to get what is on the minds of the community," said Chief Moir. "I hope I get some really good questions about the truths behind policing, a lot of folks have a lot of misunderstandings about policing."

The Tempe Police Department received major backlash for the death of 14-year-old Antonio Arce in January of 2019, and more recently, for another incident where a Tempe officer was seen shoving an 11-year-old boy after detaining the boy's older brother.

The Mesa Police Department also scrutinized for similar incidents, including an excessive use-of-force complaint surrounding five Mesa officers seen beating 35-year-old Robert Johnson in the hallway of an apartment complex, alongside several others filed when former Chief Ramon Batista led the department.

"We're putting a period on that and moving forward," Interim Chief Cost said Friday.

Cost, named chief just four months ago, joked that he doesn't have it all figured out to the group of men and woman present Friday, despite his 25 years on the force.

"I think anytime there's tension or questions or concern it comes down to trust and it comes down to relationships," he said.

Several leaders also mentioned the role of citizen review boards, Chief Moir telling ABC15 she supports the group, who's helped make recommendations to her department since its inception in 1999.

“There’s a real strength in having a citizens review board as we have," said Moir. "The folks are not put in the public eye, they’re not prone to public pressure. They are prone to high values, they are trained they are really brought in behind the curtain. And they examine our cases in full. We are completely open and transparent with them and they make recommendations."

Pastor Miller hoping the discussion with respective chiefs gets back to officers on the streets.

“I hope they can take the conversation, they can take the comments and they can take those back to the people who are under them," said Miller. "If the message is not passed down to a line officer then we’ve done nothing.”

Mesa pastor addresses police brutality during sermon following Mesa police investigations – AZCentral

Posted on Updated on Categories:In the News

Mesa pastor addresses police brutality during sermon following Mesa police investigations – AZCentral

Mesa pastor addresses police brutality during sermon following Mesa police investigations – AZCentral

Andre Miller’s sermon was in response to last week’s outcry over the conduct of several Mesa police officers. Arizona Republic

The pastor who last week called attention to footage of Mesa police officers beating an unarmed man addressed police brutality from the pulpit Sunday, calling for advocacy and unity.

Pastor Andre Miller of Mesa’s New Beginnings Christian Church began his sermon at about 1 p.m., saying that all people are called to love one another as Jesus loved them.

“In our country today, we are so fractured on so many items,” Miller said. “We are fractured on so many issues … If we got rid of the mindset that it’s me versus you or us versus them, we could be in such a better place.”

Miller then moved to a passage in the book of Ephesians, which prompted his first reference to the outcry over the Mesa police footage.

“Because you are my neighbor, I’ve got to have concern for you,” he said. “When my neighbor gets beat up by the police, I’ve got to stand up and say, ‘That’s not okay.'”

Miller said God calls all people to love and care for one another, regardless of racial, ethnic or economic differences. He said he hopes this generation can resolve social injustices to create a better world, where “people aren’t separated by badges and uniforms…color and size.”

Toward the end of the sermon, he also spoke of the importance of representation in political leadership, saying he was considering running for mayor in Mesa.

Lei Sean Curtis, an associate pastor at the church, said Miller’s address was uplifting and appropriate given the recent police scandal. He said the purpose of Miller’s remarks was not to cause division or insinuate that all police officers are bad.

“It’s not to say all Caucasian cops are against all African Americans or all African Americans are against Caucasians,” Curtis said. “It’s a societal problem that we need to address.”

Curtis said that the church regularly addresses social issues, deviating from some pastors’ policies of leaving politics out of the pulpit.

“I think it all depends on how you frame the conversation,” Miller said in an interview after the sermon. “Many political issues are framed in race and they’re framed as ‘us versus them,’ and that’s not the way I convey a message. The message is: If there’s an issue, it affects all of humanity. All of us.”

Miller later praised Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista for working quickly to address the public’s concerns.

Pastor Andre Miller to preach on police brutality after video of Mesa officers beating man – AZCentral

Posted on Updated on Categories:In the News

Pastor Andre Miller to preach on police brutality after video of Mesa officers beating man – AZCentral

Pastor Andre Miller to preach on police brutality after video of Mesa officers beating man – AZCentral

Robert Johnson, 35, was beaten by a group of Mesa Police officers in May. He spoke publicly about the incident for the first time Thursday. Arizona Republic

Andre Miller, the pastor who sent the video showing officers beating a man to the ground to the Mesa Police Chief, will hold a Sunday sermon on police brutality.

While the video has sparked national debate as well as protests in Mesa, Miller, a pastor at New Beginnings Christian Church in Mesa, said he plans on preaching a message appealing to humanity on Sunday.

“Jesus speaks to hope and love, loving our fellow man,” Miller said. “At the end of the day, none of this is being done to vilify police officers. It’s being done to highlight a problem that disrupts the harmony of humanity.”

Video that showed Mesa officers punching and kneeingRobert Johnson was released by Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista after Miller made Batista aware of the incident.

The night of the incident, May 23, Johnson was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and hindering police.

Responding to the firestorm over the officers’ actions captured on video, Batista changed the department’s use-of-force policy. On Wednesday, another man claimed abuse by Mesa officers. Terence Kirkpatrick said Mesa police officers used excessive force and called him the N-word during an incident last fall.

MORE: ‘We will fix this’: Mesa police chief calls for probe into use of force

Mesa police officers will be prevented from striking suspects’ face, head and neck “unless there is active aggression being exhibited by an individual toward the officer,” the department said in a statement.

Andre Miller’s sermon was in response to last week’s outcry over the conduct of several Mesa police officers. Arizona Republic

The case has triggered scrutiny of the Mesa Police Department, which has faced backlash for its use of force in other high-profile episodes. The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a civil-rights violation investigation against a former police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man in January 2016 and was later acquitted of murder.

Miller hopes that Batista’s prompt actions will be a catalyst for national change, as the public demands rogue officers be held accountable and an end to police brutality.

MORE: Mesa police release body cam footage of officers punching unarmed man

In body cam footage released by Mesa police on June 6, 2018, shows officers punching and kneeing Robert Johnson, who is unarmed. Arizona Republic

Pastor calls for police reform nationwide

“My hope is that the reforms that I’ll be pushing for and other community leaders will be pushing for will also be mimicked across the country,” Miller said. “I think that this could be a great precursor to changes in across the nation.”

Miller said that he was satisfied with Batista’s response once he was shown the video.

“When I first sent him the video, he jumped right into action, as far as investigating, and he changed a policy right then,” Miller said. “At this point, I’m satisfied with actions of the chief.”

Miller said he wants those who attend his service on Sunday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the New Beginnings Christian Church near Main Street and Gilbert Road  to leave feeling restored in spirit.

“It’s something as a pastor I have to speak to…my main goal is to make sure that people are encouraged, that they’re edified with the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.

Republic reporter Uriel Garcia contributed to this article.