FBI, State Police to screen police video [VIDEO]

The FBI and Louisiana State Police are reviewing different issues raised by a Eunice Police Dept. arrest video that has made its way to social websites and computer desktops, smartphones and tablets around the world.
Police Chief Ronald Dies said he asked for the agencies’ assistance after seeing the video of the February 11 arrest of Archillus Hebert of Eunice.
Dies said the FBI will examine any possible excessive force or brutality issues and that LSP will investigate how the tape was surreptitiously provided to outside parties.
“The first issue I had when I initially looked at the tape was a concern about the force used. But after looking at full, unedited tape, what appears to be uncalled for may have been justified,” Dies said, adding that he felt an outside agency should make that call.
The second concern, Dies said, is how the tape got to the outside world. “It was part of an open case and therefore not public record. It’s release was a breech of policy and possibly law,” he said.
The case is no longer open, but the tape is now part of new investigation.
Hebert pleaded guilty in City Court on May 6 to the Febuary charges of resisting, DWI 1st offense, improper lane usage, no driver’s license in possession and no proof of insurance. He was fined $360, ordered to pay $921 in court costs and given six months in jail, suspended, as well as an additional 10 months, all concurrent with the six-month and suspended and placed on probation.
Hebert was back on the police log when arrested in September on felony narcotics charges and misdemeanor traffic charges. He is currently in state custody awaiting disposition of those charges.
That arrest adds to the length of his rap sheet, which has arrests in St. Landry or other parishes dating to at least 2009, including when he led officers on a high-speed chase before being run to ground north of Eunice.
The case that is the subject of the contentious video actually began near the city limits on East Laurel, with Officer Richard Abadie noting he was following a car weaving back and forth on the highway. He finally pulled the suspect vehicle over on West Laurel near the former Walmart building.
Abadie’s involvement is noteworthy because he has been the subject of give-and-take between Dies and the City Council over whether the officer should remain on the force. Most of that tete-a-tete has been in closed sessions.
At one point, a group of citizens appeared before the council to complain about what they termed Abadie’s overzealous use of force.
The issue was taken off the mayor and council’s front burner by handing it off to a specially created citizens’ advisory committee, which can hold closed meetings without running afoul of the public meetings law.
Evidently that committee has had meetings because there are indications it will make some kind of presentation at the December council meeting, presumably out from behind its closed doors.
Once Abadie turned his squad car strobe lights on the dashboard camera in his unit began filming.
Assuming equipment is working, that is the case anytime a Eunice officer turns on patrol car lights or activates the camera with a button on their uniform equipment, Dies said.
The tapes are subsequently downloaded to a server at police headquarters, assuming all the technology operates correctly and the officer remembers to do it.
Dies said the tape was properly downloaded in this instance. The server log, he said, also indicates the tape has not been accessed since entered into the server. If that is correct, he noted, then the copy was pirated before the original was mounted on the server or someone figured out how to override the access log.
The chief would not speculate as to why a February tape is surfacing in November. “I have my theories,” he said, though electing to keep them to himself.
The tape in question shows Abadie approaching Hebert’s vehicle and going through the standard speech every motorist ever stopped has heard.
But it doesn’t go well once Abadie tells Hebert to get out of the vehicle and telling him to pull his pants -- worn in the slabbing style -- up.
As Hebert does so, his hand rises to his face and Abadie yells at him not to put whatever it was in his mouth and grabs him about the throat, apparently to prevent swallowing.
At that point, two officers -- Shift Supervisor Lt. Ryan Young and Officer Chase Godeaux -- enter the field of view and along with Abadie scuffle with Hebert to get him handcuffed. Those two were apparently in backup units at the scene but not on camera until then.
As he is putting Hebert into the squad car, Abadie shouts “Do you know who you’re talking to?” and appears to momentarily grab the suspect by the throat before shoving him into the unit.
The officers are then seen searching the pavement with their hand lights, apparently for whatever they thought Hebert was attempting to swallow.
The video has spawned a call for action from a Facebook group named “Eunice Uncensored”– who first publicized the video.
“Cop watcher” Alexander Lege – who is the creator of the group – has also created a Facebook event: “Protest for the removal of Richard Abadie in support of Keke”.
Apparently, “Keke” is the nick name for Hebert.
According to the Facebook page, Lege is planning a group protest on Friday, Nov. 22 at the Eunice Police Department at 4 p.m.
“When police continue to hide behind the ‘thin blue line’ and devalue their own duty, it is up to the people to rein in their power,” said Lege, according to a public statement on the Facebook event page. “Recently the video of one ‘KeKe’ was shown where an officer assaulted him for talking while already being under control and handcuffed. This kid was being 100 percent respectful the whole time. This officer needs to be fired,” Lege asserts.