Sam Smith Direct

Question 1

Please state your name for the court, spelling the last.

Answer 1

My name is Sam Smith, spelled S-M-I-T-H.

Question 2

Ms. Smith, what is your occupation?

Answer 2

I am a police officer for the Lakeview Police Department. I’ve been an officer for 23 years

Question 3

Officer Smith, in preparation to become a police officer, did you undergo any training?

Answer 3

I went through the police academy. In addition, I have trained with use of force simulations, and taken weeks of Control and Arrest Tactics classes

Question 4

How proficient were you at these classes?

Answer 4

Well actually, I was recognized at the top of my class, so I spent 75% of my time training other officers in the standard operating procedure

Question 5

Do you have any certifications for this teaching?

Answer 5

Yes, I completed the instructor school for Control and Arrest tactics

Question 6

What else have you done for the Lakeview Police Department?

Answer 6

I have also served on the diversity initiative, the officer-involved shooting task force, and I even helped write the curriculum for Control and Arrest Tactics

Question 7

Have you done anything else to help the Lakeview community?

Answer 7

I volunteer once a month at a humane society and I advise the community housing committee for people with disabilities, plus I help out at a school for children with autism.

Question 8

Could you explain to the members of the jury why you volunteer at the school for children with autism?

Answer 8

My little brother has a severe form of autism, and helping him through his struggles has inspired me to be a positive force for those with special needs

Question 9

During your 23 years on the force, has your life ever been in danger

Answer 9

Well, being a police officer is a dangerous line of work. I put at my life at risk for the community everyday.

Question 10

Are there any specific experiences you can remember?

Answer 10

Yes, I was stabbed in the back while it answering a domestic abuse call, and I still suffer back pains to this day as a result. It was a terrible experience.

Question 11

Now officer, I’d like to draw your attention to July 20th, 2017. At approximately 2 o’clock, did you get a call on your radio alerting you that a crime had been committed?

Answer 11

Yes, I got the first call at 2:13 from dispatch telling me that a purse had been stolen by a man/woman wearing a grey shirt and red shorts, exhibiting twitchy behavior

Question 12

Did you receive any subsequent information?

Answer 12

I did. Exactly a minute later, I was told that the situation had escalated to priority level one, meaning that there was a possible dangerous suspect

Question 13

Do you know why the priority level was heightened?

Answer 13

Yes, I was told that the suspect may have been armed with a 5-inch knife.

Question 14

Based on the information that you had at the time officer, what action did you take?

Answer 14

I suspected the person involved to be a man/woman who I had arrested in the past for criminal offenses who I believed fit the description given to me

Question 15

What was the name of the person who you believed to fit the description you had?

Answer 15

My suspect’s name is Addison Grant

Question 16

Can you identify this man/woman for the court?

Answer 16

Yes Then identify Addison Grant

Question 17

Officer Smith, while patrolling the park, did you see Addison Grant?

Answer 17

I did. I found Mr/Ms. Grant around the scene of the crime only minutes after receiving the call from dispatch

Question 18

What observations did you make about Mr./Ms. Grant after finding him/her?

Answer 18

He/she had on a grey shirt, plus red shorts. He/she appeared to me to be tired from running.

Question 19

Did you notice any objects that he had on him?

Answer 19

Yes. I noticed something sticking out her/his back pocket that resembled the description of the stolen purse.

Question 20

What did you do when you saw him/her?

Answer 20

I approached her/him to conduct an investigatory interview

Question 21

What did this interview consist of?

Answer 21

I asked Mr./Ms. Grant if he/she would stand up so that I may check her/him for the item in question

Question 22

Did Mr./Ms. Grant consent to this search?

Answer 22

He/she did. In fact, Mr./Ms. Grant told me “I’ve got nothing to hide”. And then he/she called me a “stupid idiot”

Question 23

What happened next?

Answer 23

I began a pat down of the suspect.

Question 24

Did you finish your pat down?

Answer 24

No. Moments after starting my pat down, Grant resisted arrest by stiffening his/her arms and clawing at me

Question 25

Despite this resistance, did you feel that you could control Grant?

Answer 25

I did not. Right as Mr./Ms. Grant started clawing me, my back pain flared up worse than I’ve ever experienced. I warned Mr./Ms. Grant that I would deploy my taser if he/she didn’t stop, but he/she continued to batter me.

Question 26

Officer you said that you did not have the situation under control, so why did you not call for backup?

Answer 26

You have to understand that the situation was escalating very quickly. Any time that I wasted could have put me or other citizens at risk.

Question 27

So, did you end up deploying your taser?

Answer 27

Yes I had no choice. I administered a shock on its lowest setting to regain control of the situation. I shocked him/her only once, because anything more than that could have posed a threat to her/his health.

Question 28

Afterwards, did you have the situation under control

Answer 28

Actually no. As I was still trying to subdue Mr./Ms Grant, a friend of his/hers approached us and began yelling at me

Question 29

How did this affect what you did to defuse the situation?

Answer 29

I knew I had to act quickly, because a 2-on-1 situation can easily become dangerous for both an officer and for citizens around us

Question 30

What did you do next?

Answer 30

I decided to secure Mr./Ms Grant by putting my knee on her/his back while cuffing his/her hands. I tried to avoid hitting his/her head on the ground, but I had to defuse the violent situation quickly, so some contact between Mr./Ms Grants head and the ground was inevitable.

Question 31

Now, Officer Smith, are you familiar with Lakeview Police Department’s Standard Operating Procedure?

Answer 31

I am

Question 32

Officer Smith, is this your police department’s standard operating procedure?

Answer 32

Yes it is

Question 33

Can you explain what these operating procedures cover?

Answer 33

Certainly. The standard operating procedure describes factors that determine acceptable use of force

Question 34

May I direct your attention to factor one under the bolded section “Totality of Circumstances”. Are you familiar with this factor?

Answer 34

I am. It describes how an officer should not use force if there are alternative methods of controlling a suspect

Question 35

Officer Smith, when you deployed you taser, did you feel that you had any alternative methods to control Mr./Ms Grant?

Answer 35

I did not

Question 36

Can you explain factor five under the “Totality of Circumstances” section?

Answer 36

It tells that force may be objectively reasonable if the number of persons involved is greater than the number of responding officers

Question 37

Officer Smith, do you feel that this factor applies to your decision to use the force you did?

Answer 37

I do. Once Grant’s friend Bailey Wilson began yelling at me during the arrest, I felt outnumbered and overpowered.

Question 38

And Officer, were you referencing all of these standard operating procedures in your decision to use the amount of force you did during the altercation with Mr./Ms. Grant?

Answer 38

Yes I was.