Use of MPD force determined justified

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

A special internal review of a recent altercation between a combatant subject and two Mesquite Police Officers has found that the use of force in the incident was justified, according to a statement released by Mesquite Police Department (MPD) on Thursday, Mar. 11.

A special board convened last week to fully review the incident, in keeping with MPD standard policy. This Use of Force board consisted of community members, a peer officer, a police supervisor and training instructors.

The incident under review took place on Saturday, Feb. 27. On that afternoon, a male suspect; later identified as Anthony DeFazio of Whitefish Montana; was arrested by police after stealing a bicycle, breaking into City Hall, vandalizing and destroying artworks and other items inside the building, and then walking down the middle of a busy street stopping up traffic.

After trying to de-escalate the situation for several minutes, the police engaged with the subject to bring the situation under control. A struggle then ensued in which a use of force by the police officers allegedly became necessary.

A number of video recordings of the incident were made public in the days following. These included police body camera footage as well as footage recorded by a bystander.

The video recordings all found their way onto social media sites where they set off a flurry of public opinion posts. Most of these expressed support for the police officers involved. But some cirticized the MPD response as extreme and inappropriate.

At the end of the thorough review of the incident, the board unanimously determined that the officers’ use of force in the incident was fully in keeping with MPD policy as well as all local and state laws.

One officer, who had been placed on administrative leave in relation to the incident, returned to work after the board announced the decision Thursday, said the MPD statement.

In an interview with The Progress on Friday morning, MPD Public Information Officer Wyatt Oliver explained that these types of Board reviews take place any time there is a use of force by police.

“These are internal, personnel matters and they are pretty routine,” Oliver said. “The only reason we released a statement about this one was because the incident became so public. We are committed to transparency with the community, especially in incidents like this.”

In the MPD press release, Police Chief MaQuade Chesley said that he stands behind the decisions reached by the Use of Force Review Board.

“I commend the officers in this incident for immediately recognizing the subject was experiencing a mental health crisis, and attempting to de-escalate the stressful situation with him for nearly six minutes,” Chesley said. “These well-trained officers continuously evaluated their options on how to safely take the subject into custody while trying to keep themselves, the public and the subject safe.”

In his statement Chesley also addressed the ubiquitous public response to the incident found on social media sites last week.

“I was disappointed in the few biased people in our community who were quick to form an ignorant conclusion,” Chesley said. “Our officers deserve their due process just like everyone else in our country.”

“I am grateful for the majority of the community who expressed understanding for the great amount of mental and physical stress our officers were put under during this incident,” Chesley added. “Reserving judgment by allowing our professional police procedure to conclude prior to coming to a conclusion is the proper course of action which is rarely afforded in today’s modern society.”

Finally, Chesley expressed gratitude that the incident had come to a final, peaceful conclusion.

“I am grateful the suspect taken into custody was able to receive the help he needed and both our officers were able to return home after their shifts relatively uninjured,” Chesley said. “I praise our officers for the hard work they do day in and day out.”