A petition was created calling for the firing of the Tucson Police Department officer who shoved a young student walking down the sidewalk during the party-turned-quasi-riot after the University of Arizona basketball team lost in the NCAA tournament.
Over 100 people have signed the online petition calling for the firing of Sgt. Joel Mann, an 18-year department veteran. Mann has also received several threats after Saturday night’s incident near campus.
The Department says that Mann has been given “an alternative duty assignment” as a precaution. They claim that the move isn’t “indicative of any premature judgment on his actions.”
According to the Arizona Daily Star, a board of inquiry will investigate the actions taken by TPD against students near Main Gate Square after students. The Star reported: “Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor wants the community to know that police “continue to review and compile volumes of evidence which includes videos, photographs, statements and reports,” said Lt. Christian Wildblood in a news release Friday.”
The Arizona Department of Public Safety will review “the specific actions” of Mann. The Board will be headed up by Deputy Police Chief Sharon Allen. Allen is currently the interim director of the Tucson Convention Center, and will be joined by Department members of “various ranks, and representatives from both the Independent Police Auditor’s Office and Tucson City Attorney’s Office, according to the Star.
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In the most calculated move to date by the Department, TPD will be sending a member to Wisconsin to watch how they handle students after the University of Wisconsin’s game on Monday.
On Friday, the UW-Madison Police chief issued a statement advising students to “Keep Celebrating, Badgers!” In the release, the chief says to students, “we know you can’t wait to cheer on the basketball squad, as they inch closer to the national championship game. We’re right there with you!”
According to the Madison police, “All this week, the UW-Madison and the City of Madison police department have been meeting and coordinating plans to ensure celebrations this weekend are once again safe and successful. Both departments will increase staff on Saturday evening as a precaution to ensure everyone’s safety – that said, we don’t anticipate any problems.’
The most common complaint by those near the Main Gate last week was TPD’s apparent anticipation of problems. Police came out in riot gear. According to TPD, officers used two Arwenn Rounds, four Foam Baton Rounds, nine OC Vapor Aerosol Canisters and approximately 200 individual Pepper Ball Rounds.
No officers were injured during the incident and the only damage reported was a street sign and a permanent scar for TPD from the video that went viral of Mann’s actions against the young female student who had been knocked over.