Read

User menu

Search form

U.S. Border Patrol Ordered to Stop Shooting at Vehicles, Rock Throwers

U.S. Border Patrol Ordered to Stop Shooting at Vehicles, Rock Throwers
Tue, 3/11/2014 - by Brian Bennett
This article originally appeared on Los Angeles Times

The head of the U.S. Border Patrol announced new rules to limit agents from shooting at moving vehicles or people throwing rocks or other objects at agents, reversing a controversial policy that has led to at least 19 deaths.

Border Patrol Chief Michael J. Fisher ordered customs and border agents not to step directly in front of a moving vehicle, or use their body to block it, in order to open fire on the driver. He also barred shooting at vehicles whose occupants are fleeing from agents.

Fisher also ordered agents to seek cover or move away from rock throwers if possible, and not to shoot at them unless the rock or other object “poses an imminent danger of death or serious injury.”

The Times reported last week that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had commissioned a group of law enforcement experts to conduct an independent review of 67 shooting incidents along the nation’s borders between 2010 and 2012, but then rejected the group’s recommendations to impose stricter limits on shooting at vehicles and rock throwers.

Fisher’s directive, contained in a four-page memorandum titled “Use of Safe Tactics and Techniques,” effectively reverses that decision and sets new standards on use of force for one of the nation’s largest law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Border Patrol employs more than 21,000 sworn federal agents.

Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, who took office in December, ordered the Border Patrol to reconsider the policy last week when The Times reported that the nonprofit Police Executive Research Forum had concluded that some agents had intentionally put themselves in front of fleeing vehicles, apparently to justify opening fire, and had fired in frustration at people throwing rocks from across the Mexican border.

In a statement, Johnson said the new guidelines will “lessen the likelihood of deadly force situations as we meet our dual goals of ensuring the safety and security of our dedicated agents as well as the public that they serve.”

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration policy and border security, said she welcomed the changes as a “big step forward” to reduce the number of unnecessary shootings by agents. In a telephone interview from San Jose, she called on Customs and Border Protection to be more forthcoming when shootings occur on the border.

“When there are incidents in terms of injury or even death, there needs to be transparent investigations and there needs to be a public resolution of what they found,” Lofgren said.

Originally published by Los Angeles Times

3 WAYS TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

ONE-TIME DONATION

Just use the simple form below to make a single direct donation.

DONATE NOW

MONTHLY DONATION

Be a sustaining sponsor. Give a reacurring monthly donation at any level.

GET SOME MERCH!

Now you can wear your support too! From T-Shirts to tote bags.

SHOP TODAY

Sign Up

Article Tabs

The recent decisions by two of the most influential national newspapers of record to not publish their endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris says a lot about how seriously they take Trump’s threats to democracy and his promises of vengeance against his enemies.

On the eve of the historic November vote, it seems important to ask: What's wrong with men, how did we get here, and can we change this?

As Trump’s campaign grows increasingly bizarre, his team appears to be more tightly controlling his movements and carefully scripting his public appearances to minimize the negative impact his erratic behavior may have on undecided voters in swing states.

Throughout history, fascist governments have had a similar reliance on the use of lies as a weapon to take and retain power.

Former President Donald Trump is now openly fantasizing about deputizing death squads against Americans.

The recent decisions by two of the most influential national newspapers of record to not publish their endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris says a lot about how seriously they take Trump’s threats to democracy and his promises of vengeance against his enemies.

On the eve of the historic November vote, it seems important to ask: What's wrong with men, how did we get here, and can we change this?

As Trump’s campaign grows increasingly bizarre, his team appears to be more tightly controlling his movements and carefully scripting his public appearances to minimize the negative impact his erratic behavior may have on undecided voters in swing states.

Throughout history, fascist governments have had a similar reliance on the use of lies as a weapon to take and retain power.

Former President Donald Trump is now openly fantasizing about deputizing death squads against Americans.

On the eve of the historic November vote, it seems important to ask: What's wrong with men, how did we get here, and can we change this?

Posted 2 weeks 2 days ago

Former President Donald Trump is now openly fantasizing about deputizing death squads against Americans.

Posted 1 month 3 days ago

The 2024 Republican ticket’s incitement of violence against Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, is revealing in more ways than one.

Posted 1 month 2 weeks ago

Throughout history, fascist governments have had a similar reliance on the use of lies as a weapon to take and retain power.

Posted 3 weeks 6 days ago

What Britain needs now is more politics, not more police.

Posted 1 month 2 weeks ago

On the eve of the historic November vote, it seems important to ask: What's wrong with men, how did we get here, and can we change this?

Throughout history, fascist governments have had a similar reliance on the use of lies as a weapon to take and retain power.

As Trump’s campaign grows increasingly bizarre, his team appears to be more tightly controlling his movements and carefully scripting his public appearances to minimize the negative impact his erratic behavior may have on undecided voters in swing states.