Public Media for Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Key Witness In Reid Case Raises Concern About "Bad Apple" Defense

Paul Robinson
/
Flickr Creative Commons

State prosecutors last week used the term "bad apple" to describe former Bethel Police Officer Andrew Reid, who pled guilty to assault and misconduct charges in the beating of an Alaska Native man.  A key witness in the case doesn't think that's the right description.

Two years ago, Linda Green knew something was wrong when she saw Bethel Police Officer Andrew Reid assaulting Wassillie Gregory, an Alaska Native man who Reid was arresting.

“There was no obvious reason for that level of force to be used against that man," said Green. "I think pretty much any adult could look at that and say 'Hmmm... that doesn’t look right'". 

Green is an anthropologist who had been studying why and how violence happens in Native communities, but she wasn’t studying police violence. She says that’s why she was so surprised when she saw former Officer Reid assaulting Mr. Gregory.

“The unnecessary use of force against Mr. Gregory, that will always stay with me - being so close to watching that happen," said Green. 

The Reid case happened at a time when similar instances of police misconduct against minorities, some fatal, were starting to be reported across the country.

“Now after the past two years where we’ve seen this unfold across police forces in the United States, we see it’s a big problem. It’s not just individual bad apples," said Green. 

Green is firmly in the camp that believes this is a system-wide issue, despite repeated statements by law enforcement organizations around the nation that cases like this are the fault of a select few.

The Bethel Police Department has had two cases of officer misconduct in the past two years, which the department has claimed is due to a lack of sufficient funding to keep or hire qualified candidates.

Earlier this year the Bethel City Council approved raises for Bethel Police Officers.

Bethel Police Department did not respond to phone calls requesting comment for this story.