Today, the City of Erie released the findings of an investigation into the June 28 encounter involving Erie Police officers and Keven Sparks. During the press conference, Police Chief Rick Lorah and Deputy Chief Chris Janus walked through the investigation and shared body-worn camera and police vehicle dash camera footage.
The investigation found that:
- The evidence did not establish that an officer intentionally struck Mr. Sparks with the police cruiser.
- The evidence did not establish that officers continued using force after Mr. Sparks was brought under control and handcuffed.
- The force used to take Mr. Sparks into custody was within Erie Police Department policy.
The investigation identified separate violations of department policy that resulted in:
- The immediate demotion of one officer.
- Changes to the department’s body-worn camera policy. As a result, the sleep-mode function has been disabled, and body-worn cameras are now required to remain operational during officers’ shifts in accordance with the revised policy.
“Transparency means showing our work,” said Mayor Daria S. Devlin. “Our responsibility is to explain what evidence was reviewed, what standards were applied, what concerns were substantiated, what concerns were not, and what actions resulted.
“Our job is not to demand trust because we held a press conference. Our job is to continue earning it through what we do next.”
The City of Erie will continue the work of improving police and community relations by finalizing a plain-language community guide explaining the department’s Use of Force policy, making information about police training and policy review more accessible, and improving communication and opportunities for community education following significant police incidents.
“This investigation has already resulted in an immediate policy change, and we will continue reviewing the policies, training, supervisory practices, and systems implicated by this incident to determine what else we should learn and improve,” concluded Mayor Daria S. Devlin. “Today is not the end of that work. It is one step in it.”
The full press conference can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/live/ZSC9RwDOj0o?si=1XsO_0iNGBM2iYGn&t=210.
