New law forces Maine AG to investigate police shootings within months, not years - fox23maine.com
PORTLAND (WGME) -- A new law, in direct response to reporting by the CBS13 I-Team, is speeding up investigations into police shootings and allowing for video footage to be released sooner.
Maine has seen 11 police shootings so far this year. That's the most since 2017, adding to the backlog of cases in the Maine Attorney General's Office.
There are currently 19 open investigations into the use of deadly force. The oldest dates back more than three years to June of 2018.
Susan Bolduc is among those still waiting for answers.
She says her teenage son skipped school sometimes, but was never in trouble with the law until December of 2019 when he was shot and killed by police.
"People need to understand, this doesn’t just happen to people who are the local drug dealer or somebody who’s been a fighter their whole life," Bolduc said.
According to the York County Sheriff's Office, Christopher Camacho, 16, was the suspect in an attempted armed robbery at the Dollar General store in Limerick, and got into a confrontation with deputies.
Bolduc says he had a BB gun and machete.
"It's in my son's autopsy report that he asked for the police to be called," Bolduc said. "That alone should have been a signal to somebody."
She now believes it was suicide by cop.
"My son needed help, not to end up in an urn in my house," Bolduc said.
Bolduc says she’s tried to get answers about what happened in her son’s final moments, and whether police tried to de-escalate the situation.
But nearly two years later, the Attorney General’s Office still hasn’t issued its report.
"I don’t understand why it takes that long," Bolduc said.
A new law, which took effect October 18, is changing that.
Now, the AG's Office has a deadline of 180 days, or six months, to decide whether a use of deadly force is justified.
"We anticipate the office should not have any difficulty in meeting that time frame," Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said.
Frey says his office is already prioritizing these cases, using a new framework. Eight investigations have been completed so far this year, twice as many as last year.
"I have dedicated more staff time specifically to these cases," Frey said. "So to the extent that, when the choice is between, 'Is a person going to work on case A or case B?' The case that involves deadly use of force, that is what I'm asking they focus on first."
State Rep. Jeffrey Evangelos (I-Friendship) co-sponsored the legislation, which also gives the AG discretion to release video footage of police shootings.
In the case of Jason Gora, the AG shielded body camera video from public view for more than 14 months.
"It may lend some confidence to the family if the video footage is released and they can say, 'Geez, our son, or my husband, he was pointing a gun at the police. I can't hold police responsible,'" Evangelos said.
CBS13 I-Team Reporter Marissa Bodnar: "Other places across the country, videos are released in days or weeks. Why isn’t that the case in Maine?"
Frey: "Well with this new law, that’s what we’re moving toward ... The public and you and others are going to be seeing this video more frequently and very soon."
It's a step in the right direction, but Evangelos says the bigger problem is a systemic bias.
"They can't get their arms around the fact that some of these shootings are unjustified," Evangelos said.
Bodnar: "Every police shooting in Maine has been justified. The AG's Office obviously works closely with police. Are you and your investigators able to objectively evaluate these situations?"
Frey: "I am confident in my office’s ability to objectively evaluate each case that comes before us, treat it on the facts that are presented for each individual case, and apply the law that’s been provided to us by the legislature."
Frey expects his office to be reasonably caught up on the backlog of cases by early spring, including the one that involves Bolduc's son.
"I think more of it is just to close the door," Bolduc said. "Because it's that raw wound that just stays open."
Evangelos has submitted a bill that make changes to the Deadly Force Review Panel by removing three members who have a law enforcement background and replacing them with people from civil liberties groups. It would also allow the panel to overrule the Attorney General's decision about a police shooting.
source: https://fox23maine.com/news/i-team/new-law-forces-maine-ag-to-investigate-police-shootings-within-months-not-years
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