Editorial: In New Haven shooting, a small victory for transparency — and one big defeat

On Tuesday, State Police Commissioner James Rovella did the right thing: He released to the public body-camera video that showed Hamden Police Officer Devin Eaton shooting at a man and into a car in New Haven.

Mr. Rovella didn’t have to release the video. He could have stonewalled, like so many officials are prone to do when police conduct is in question, and claimed that releasing the video would compromise the investigation.

But he apparently recognized that unflinching transparency is the right course, especially when it comes to police actions. It was a brave and commendable step that should encourage the public to trust in the integrity of the ongoing investigation — and should encourage other law enforcement officials to adopt the same posture in the future.

The officers involved in the shooting, however, did not turn their video cameras on when they responded to a report of an attempted armed robbery in the early morning hours of April 16 — a distressing lapse.

The report came from Hamden. Officer Eaton and Yale Police Officer Terrance Pollock soon stopped a car matching the description of the suspect’s near Dixwell Avenue — in New Haven. Especially considering the nature of the call, and that they were outside their normal jurisdictions, both officers should have immediately thought to record the proceedings, for their safety and that of the occupants of the car.

The two officers fired 16 shots, missing Paul Witherspoon III, the driver of the car, but hitting Stephanie Washington, 22, who was in the passenger seat. She was hospitalized with gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening.

We are fortunate that Officer Eaton did think to turn his camera on in enough time for there to be partial video evidence of the shooting. His body camera saved a few seconds of video — not audio — before the record function was activated. But given the limited footage and especially without audio, many questions are unanswered.

Did the police call out to the driver? Did the driver respond? Did the driver leap out abruptly, in a manner that would cause alarm? Why did Officer Eaton fire into the car?

Mr. Witherspoon told investigators that his window wouldn’t open and that he opened the car door to show his empty hands.

If Mr. Witherspoon was unarmed, why did police open fire? No gun was found after a search of the vehicle.

If both officers had followed policy and activated their cameras when they were supposed to, the situation would have been more clear. We’d have answers to these key questions, and everyone — investigators and the public — could make better judgments about the officers’ response.

Hamden and Yale police should review video camera usage among all their officers. Do police routinely follow policy and turn on cameras when they’re supposed to? A full accounting, and public disclosure, is necessary.

In the absence of better video evidence in the New Haven case, the public is justifiably frustrated with the initial accounts. There are many reasons to be concerned about police attitudes toward young black men, even though the officers involved in this case are both black.

That conversation between community leaders and the police is important, and the dialogue must continue, even if it is fraught with anger and distrust at the moment. As Mr. Rovella knows from his time as Hartford’s police chief, good community relations is about more than a few meetings with local clergy. If police and members of the community are to trust each other, a cooperative attitude has to be part of everyday life in the city, among its residents and its police.

As Mr. Rovella showed, transparency is critically important to that process. It must continue.