State ACLU Director Questions Conclusions Reached In Investigation Of Racine Police Shooting

The director of the Wisconsin American Civil Liberties Union is questioning the conclusions reached in an investigation of a police-involved shooting in Racine on July 6.

State ACLU director Chris Ahmuty said information released about the death of Rajko Utvic suggested that police had no alternative except to shoot him when he charged at them with a knife. Ahmuty has asked police officials for more information about the training police receive for dealing with people suffering from mental illness.

“In police circles these days, there’s a lot of talk about better ways to handle these situations — crisis intervention training, for instance,” said Ahmuty. “Maybe the department in Racine can explore that possibility. “

In a letter this week to the county sheriff, Racine County District Attorney Richard Chiapete congratulated police for following proper protocol by using a Taser first to try to subdue Utvic before shooting him. The letter says Utvic had cut himself with a knife and was bleeding as he continued to charge at police, knife in hand, even after being stunned by the Taser gun.

The ACLU has asked for a copy of the full report on the investigation. Ahmuty said this case raises concerns that have come up in other police shooting incidents in the state this year involving people with mental illness.

“For too long police departments … have felt that as long as somebody has a weapon and appears to be threatening officers, that they don’t have any other recourse but to shoot,” said Ahmuty.

Ahmuty said police departments need to work more closely with mental health providers and agencies that advocate for people suffering from mental illness to find less lethal ways to defuse violent situations.