the KSL Investigators obtained body cam video.. sparking strong reaction. The video
comes from a camera worn bya
Deputy.. looking high and low.. for one man in particular. As Daniella
Rivera reports.. the video is
prompting serious questions
about law enforcement
training.. and calls for
accountability. And we
want to acknowledge.. this
video can be difficult to
watch.. for some members of
our community.
1:56 - 2:012:03 - 2:103:49 -
3:564:04 - 4:104:28 - 4:32
This is the view from a
Grand County Sheriff's
Deputy's body camera on July
10. It's rolling as Deputy
Amanda Edwards pulls up to
help Moab police look for a
man they claim ran from them.
And that...is a lasso It's
considered a utility tool...
EDWARDS SWINGING ROPE,
WHISTLING enforcement here
for stray livestock... and
even once, in another county,
helping rescue a man from a
flood. Edwards: HOW'S IT
GOING GUYS? I'M LOOKING FOR A
GENTLEMAN THAT TOOK OFF
RUNNING ON US But on this
day... Edwards: AFRICAN
AMERICAN GENTLEMAN Deputy
Edwards has other plans...
Subtitles needed for citizen
sound: ARE YOU GONNA LASSO
HIM? Edwards: THAT WAS MY
PLAN, MAN. I MEAN IT'S BETTER
THAN RUNNING RIGHT? As she
explains to anyone who asks.
Subtitles needed for citizen
sound: YOU GONNA ROPE HIM?
Edwards: MIGHT. IT'S BETTER
THAN RUNNIN', OR A TASER,
RIGHT? LESS PAINFUL. During
the recording, Edwards says
the man was suspected of
stealing sunglasses. They
didn't find him. But for about
35 minutes ... Deputy Edwards
is seen twirling or carrying
the rope as she interacts with
the public and other members
of law enforcement. One Grand
County deputy is heard raising
concerns... Wiggins: THAT'S
GONNA LOOK REALLY BAD, IF YOU
USE THAT. Edwards: BETTER
THAN A TASER While a Utah
Highway Patrol Trooper... had
this reaction: Edwards:
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
MOMENT. FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
Other LEO: I WILL CORNER HIM
SO YOU CAN ROPE HIM.Edwards:
'PPRECIATE IT. WE JUST NEED TO
GET HIM ON THE RUN, LIKE,
'RUN. NOW.' Rae: NO...
THIS IS NOT REAL LIFE
Jeanetta: UNBELIEVABLE. THINK
IT WAS THE WILD WILD WEST.
This was the reaction when KSL
showed the video to...
Jeanetta Williams, with the
NAACP... and Rae Duckworth and
Mario Mathis -- with Black
Lives Matter -- Utah. Mario:
SO SHE KNEW SHE WAS LOOKING
FOR A BLACK MAN, AND SHE GETS
A ROPE. Danie: WHAT IS HE
GOING TO SEE COMING TOWARDS
HIM? Rae: A SLAVE PATROLLER.
The footage... they say --
evokes the generational trauma
of America's past. Jeanetta:
WE'VE BEFORE BY POLICE... AND
THEN THEY SEE SOMEONE COMING
WITH A ROPE... Rae: AND
WE'RE IN 2022 AND THAT'S A
COMFORTABLE SLAVE PATROLLER IN
MY STATE. Before the KSL
Investigators obtained the
video... Edwards: DUDE SO
MANY PEOPLE TOOK PICTURES OF
ME WITH MY ROPE I'M LIKE OH MY
GOD, PLEASE DON'T SAY BAD
THINGS... The Moab Sun News
published this photo. The
caption ... revealing Edward's
use of the lasso while
searching for a suspect...
prompted an internal
investigation. Sara: I HAVE
VERY HIGH REGARD FOR HER
STANDARDS FOR THE WAY SHE
TREATS EVERYBODY. Sara
Melnicoff leads a nonprofit in
Moab that works closely with
law enforcement, including
Edwards -- to help the city's
homeless population. She says
the man officers were looking
for that day was living on the
streets. She helped get him a
bus ticket later that month --
and hasn't seen him since.
Sara: MY IMPRESSION OF HIM WAS
THAT HE HAD VERY SERIOUS
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. I
THOUGHT HE WAS PRETTY
HARMLESS. Melnicoff says
when people in the community
heard about the investigation
into Edwards' conduct... some
reached out to the sheriff to
throw their support behind
Edwards. She was one of them.
Sara: SHE TREATS PEOPLE
REALLY WELL. AND IN HER FIRST
YEAR, ROOKIE YEAR, SHE WON
THREE AWARDS. Our news team
interviewed Edwards in 2021...
after she had received the
Utah small agency Officer of
the Year award. At the time,
she worked for Moab City
Police -- and she'd also
recently received an honor
from the NAACP. Edwards did
not agree to speak with us
this time, but through a
public records request...
Investigators obtained her
written statement from the
incident report. she "did not
believe" they "were going to
with the man. And when people
asked if she planned to lasso
him, she replied: "in a joking
manner" Rae: JOKING. Danie:
IS THIS FUNNY? Rae: NO,
ABSOLUTELY NOT. Mario: SHE'S
NOT JOKING. SHE'S GOT A REAL
ROPE IN HER HAND, ROPE AND
BLACK PEOPLE. WHAT DO YOU
THINK? WHAT'S THE FIRST THING
THAT COMES TO MIND? EVEN
BEYOND A RODEO, IS LYNCHING.
HANGING BLACK PEOPLE FROM
TREES. Sara: I CAN SEE HOW
IT COULD BE PERCEIVED AS A
HORRIFIC ACT THAT'S VERY
PAINFUL FOR SOME PEOPLE.
Melnicoff says she's thinking
about what happened
differently now. Sara:
IT'S A HUGE LEARNING MOMENT,
BECAUSE JUST LIKE, I DIDN'T
EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT. AND I
SHOULD HAVE. I MEAN, IT
OCCURRED TO ME, BECAUSE THAT'S
NOT WHO SHE IS. Sheriff
White: I DON'T TAKE THAT AS
JOKING. Sheriff White:
TO ME IT COMES BACK TO MATTER
OF PROFESSIONALISM. Grand
County Sheriff Steven White
says it was a call from a
local journalist that
triggered an internal affairs
investigation. White says what
you see in this video...
violates department policy.
Sheriff White: THAT WAS NOT AN
APPROVED APPREHENSION TOOL. IT
WAS NOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST,
IT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN BROUGHT
OUT. He told us Edwards was
disciplined ... but would not
provide specific details. He
says their investigation
determined race was not a
factor. Sheriff White:
THAT'S BEEN PART OF THE
INVESTIGATION, AND THERE'S NO
INDICATIONS OF ANY OF THAT.
White says Edwards is a good
deputy who made a mistake.
Sheriff White: I THINK SHE'S
OWNED UP TO THAT MISTAKE.
AND.. Danie: WELL, SHE CALLED
IT A JOKE. DO YOU THINK THAT'S
OWNING UP TO IT? Sheriff
White: SHE'S, SHE'S OWNED UP
TO IT. So what does
accountability look like?
Edwards: WHAT ARE THEY GONNA
SAY? IT'S NOT LIKE I FáááED
ANYBODY UP WITH IT. That
depends on who you ask.
Williams -- says the video
highlights a serious need for
education... Jeanetta:
THERE DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE
SOME TRAINING. AND IT
DEFINITELY WOULD NEED TO BE A
PUBLIC REPRIMAND, AS WELL AS A
LETTER IN HER FILE. Duckworth
and Mathis say that's not
enough. Mario: IF YOU DON'T
KNOW THAT PICKING UP A ROPE TO
GO AFTER A BLACK MAN IS THE
WRONG DAMN THING TO DO, YOU
SHOULD BE FIRED.
Our team sent a public
records request on october
14th to find out what
disciplinary actions were
taken against Edwards.
The Grand County Sheriff's
Office has not yet released
those records.
Jeanetta Williams, with NAACP
said there needed to be better
sensitivity training by the
department.Is that something
they've considered?
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