Drunk Off-Duty Cops Lenient Punishment Angers Erie Clergy

April 22, 2009

Yesterday, Investigation Discovery brought you the story of James Cousins II, a police officer in Erie, PA, who was videotaped at a bar joking about a homicide victim. Since that time, the slap on the wrist punishment that Cousins received has caused many citizens and civil rights groups to demand an independent investigation of the Erie City Police Department and Mayor Joe Sinnott.

"The message they gave us today was a slap in the face," Rev. Curtis Henderson said at a press conference last night. "Especially as we're all trying to move forward."

Henderson's comments were echoed by Rev. Michael T. Williams, who made it clear that the issue was far from being resolved.

"We will not sit idly by without fighting this ruling," Williams said. "We do not plan to be appeased or pacified in any way, shape, form or fashion."

At another press conference held yesterday, National NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous said that he had contacted U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and asked the Justice Department to launch an investigation into the case.

"We need an independent investigative process, one that has teeth," Jealous said.

The U.S. Attorney General's office has not yet commented on the case. At this time it remains unclear if an actual investigation will take place.

Meanwhile, Cousins is hoping that a letter of apology - addressed to the victim's mother, Yvette Jennings, fellow police officers, the Mayor, and the community - will help put out some of the fires that his actions have started.

The following is the complete unedited text of Cousins' letter:

"To Yvette Jennings and the Jennings family it is with the deepest remorse and regret that I speak to you through this letter. I allowed poor judgment and insincerity to get away from me in the statements that I made and in the actions that I portrayed in a video that was taken of me. I allowed intoxication to cloud my professional responsibility and to embellish about a story of great misfortune and loss to you and your family. Along with magnifying my role to impress others. I realize the damage and pain that this has caused you and your family and I am extremely ashamed and humiliated by my words and actions. To Yvette Jennings, I offer my deepest apology for my actions and words. I did not intend any disrespect to you or your son Rondale Jennings in this time of great grief and loss.

"To the mayor, my fellow officers, and the citizens of the City of Erie. My actions and words were in no way a statement of my feelings, nor the system of my beliefs in how I conduct myself. I believe in the core of what my fellow officers do is try an attempt to bring good to bad situations and that the embarrassment my actions have caused that to be tarnished and brought great shame to a good city filled with good people and a good department filled [with] great officers. To these people I apologize and offer my deepest remorse and regret to the Mayor, my fellow officers, and the citizens of the city of Erie."

View the Letter of Apology

Yvette Jennings has yet to comment on whether the letter has helped ease her suffering. Prior to its release, she asked for Cousins to resign his position, stating that she is "constantly haunted" by the vision of the officer mocking her dead son.

The video that started this entire ordeal was filmed on the night of April 6 at the Treehouse Tavern in Girard, PA. In it, Cousins, who was off-duty at the time, went off on a profanity-laced rant about 31-year-old Rondale Jennings Sr., a man who was shot and murdered outside an Erie bar on March 28.

"It looked like (expletive) out of a movie. Right in the middle of the (expletive) forehead, right between the (expletive) eyes," James Cousins II said on the video that was posted online. "The mom's right on the scene. They (expletive) lift the (expletive) bag off his face, and (it is) like 'that's him.' We're looking at it like, 'One less drug dealer to deal with. Cool'"

The seven minute video was posted on YouTube by an individual from Australia who was visiting family in the area.

The case remained in limbo until yesterday, when Sinnott announced that Cousins would be suspended for ten days without pay. In addition, he is required to attend alcohol counseling and to complete an evaluation regarding his "fitness-for-duty."

Related Link:
Drunk Erie Cop Receives Slap on Wrist for Dissing Murder Victim

Photo Credit: iStock

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Comments

[Stacey CHarter]

I have to say ...I don't understand where the race issue is coming into play on this. I watched this video twice and did not hear one reference to what race the victim or his mother was. The only way I found out he was african-american was when i started reading responses from people in the town. Did I miss something?

While this officers behavior was crass and rude - I am more concerned about the attempt to intimidate the guy who took the video. As a commentator said yesterday - that is an offense worth firing over -

[Cheryl Meril Jenkins]

When there's such a blatant level of corruption in our gov't, how do we expect for it to trickle down as liberty? After all, Obama said we should move on and not investigate those who gave permission to torture in violation of international treaties.

[bussiere]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23ZfLsql2kY
here is a video of erie pa rapper myth talking about being there the night of the gun death