Buckeye, Arizona officer accused of beating handcuffed detainees in seperate incidents

Former Officer Carri Carrico

A Buckeye, Arizona police officer was indicted on May 27 after a months-long investigation into two separate use-of-force incidents. Former Buckeye Police Officer Carri Carrico allegedly beat up two people that were in custody and restrained in handcuffs.

Her first victim, back in November, was a 21-year-old woman who was 9-months pregnant. That assault occurred at the police station with few, if any, witnesses present. After that, Carrico was promoted to training officer. Then, two months after the first assault, while training another officer, Carrico beat up a handcuffed man at the Maricopa County Jail, where multiple witnesses observed her behavior.

It was only after the second incident that an investigation into the first case was initiated, presumably by Chief of Police Robert Sanders. During questioning, the officer attributed her violent outbursts to her training kicking in, along with the fact that the public treats officers badly.
It's not as though the first incident wasn't known. It was, but the police department was able to keep a lid on it -- that is until people at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office came forward and reported Carrico's behavior during the second arrest at the jail.

This presents a real leadership problem for City Manager Doug Sandstrom and Mayor Eric Orsborn. It was their job to oversee the police department and they failed miserably.

The bad apples are bad apples because they think they can get away with it. Because they often do. In this instance they not only ignored Carrico’s misconduct, but they rewarded her for it, in essence ratifying her unchecked behavior. That's not a training issue, but one of accountability. It vividly paints a picture of a dangerous culture of fear & secrecy among the rank-and-file. For that, Chief Sanders needs to be terminated.

Do police departments favor dumber officers?

In Jordan v. City of New London, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that police departments can legally reject applicants who score too high on intelligence tests. Robert Jordan, a college graduate, was denied an interview after scoring a 33 on the Wonderlic Personnel Test (equivalent to an IQ of 125), which exceeded the city's maximum limit of 27. [1, 2, 3]

The Background

• The Cutoff: The City of New London, Connecticut, implemented an unconventional hiring policy by establishing both a minimum and maximum score for police applicants. 
• The Reasoning: The city argued that candidates who scored too high on cognitive ability exams (like the Wonderlic) were at a higher risk of becoming bored, experiencing job dissatisfaction, and leaving the department shortly after undergoing expensive police academy training. 
• The Lawsuit: Robert Jordan sued the city in federal court, arguing that dismissing candidates based on high intelligence violated his civil rights and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. [1, 5, 6]  

The Verdict

• Court Decision: The courts ultimately ruled in favor of the City of New London. 
• Legal Rationale: The courts and judges concluded that because the city applied the maximum score policy to all candidates equally and fairly, it did not constitute unconstitutional discrimination. The policy was deemed "rational" from a fiscal and economic standpoint. [1, 2, 4, 7]  

The Aftermath and Industry Impact

• Rejection Upheld: The courts established that highly intelligent individuals do not constitute a "protected class" under the law, meaning employers could lawfully reject candidates who are deemed overqualified. 
• Industry Standards: While the courts found New London's action lawful, many police departments across the country do not employ strict maximum intelligence cutoffs, as there are ongoing professional and psychological debates about whether intelligence directly correlates to job burnout or poor performance. [2, 9, 10, 11]  

[1] https://1cademy.com/node/example-of-cognitive-ability-testing-in-law-enforcement-selection/AOQycnTIyN4Rbus3dETI
[2] https://www.johnrisvold.com/court-oks-barring-high-iqs-for-cops/
[3] https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-08-fi-1265-story.html
[4] https://racism.org/articles/law-and-justice/criminal-justice-and-racism/136-criminal-justice-generally/2395-court-holds-a-person
[5] https://www.aele.org/apa/jordan-newlondon.html
[6] https://www.ipl.org/essay/Jordan-V-City-Of-New-London-Case-01CB67030FBD2A29
[7] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/too-smart-to-be-a-cop/
[8] https://www.quora.com/In-Jordan-v-New-London-the-New-London-Police-denied-Jordans-application-to-become-a-police-officer-citing-his-IQ-was-above-the-expected-score-and-rejected-him-worrying-Jordan-would-quit-since-training-is-costly-do
[9] https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/jordan-v-city-new-london-policing-hiring-and-iq-when-all-answers
[10] https://access.heinonline.com/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/polic26&section=27
[11] https://www.emerald.com/pijpsm/article/26/2/298/319923/Jordan-v-The-City-of-New-London-police-hiring-and

How PR is leveraged to bullshit the public

Organizations leverage public relations techniques to manage crises, often utilizing specialized language to control narratives, freeze out critical press scrutiny, and apply "swine cosmetics"—a PR term for putting a positive spin on an ugly situation. By dictating what information is released and when, organizations can obscure deeper secrets and avoid accountability. [1, 2, 3] 

The Crisis Management Lexicon 
Public relations institutes and strategic communication agencies have built a sophisticated lexicon designed to freeze out aggressive reporters and sanitize unfavorable truths.

• Swine Cosmetics: The practice of "putting lipstick on a pig." This involves reframing a disastrous situation or deeply flawed policy using carefully selected, sterilized buzzwords to make it appear palatable to the public. 
• Controlling the Narrative: Establishing a single, rigid version of events that dictates which facts are prioritized, steering the public's focus away from systemic failures. 
• Strategic Ambiguity: Using vague or complex language intentionally so that an organization avoids making a definitive statement that can later be used against them in a legal or public context. 

Boilerplate Press Release Elements [4]
When a crisis hits, organizations frequently deploy pre-drafted "holding statements". While they project an image of transparency, these statements are often constructed to buy time and release as few hard facts as possible. Common boilerplate elements include:

• Acknowledge the seriousness of the situation: Standard public relations frameworks dictate that an organization must lead with care and validate public concern, stabilizing the narrative before facts are thoroughly verified. 
• Reaffirm core organizational values: PR strategies heavily lean on reinforcing commitments to broader concepts like health, safety, and transparency. This psychologically reassures the audience by associating the brand with positive, uncontroversial ideals, rather than the immediate incident at hand. 
• The rationale for releasing limited information: Organizations protect ongoing investigations, legal liabilities, or core secrets by citing the need to "prevent the spread of misinformation" or stating that "it would be inappropriate to speculate while the investigation is ongoing." This effectively justifies a media freeze and allows the organization to control the timeline of future disclosures. [11, 12]  

[1] https://www.5wpr.com/new/what-is-crisis-pr-a-comprehensive-guide-to-managing-communication-during-critical-times/
[2] https://www.linkedin.com/top-content/marketing/crisis-communication-in-marketing/public-relations-strategies-in-crisis-management/
[3] https://ivypanda.com/essays/public-relations-and-their-functions/
[4] https://channelvmedia.com/blog/what-is-a-boilerplate-in-a-press-release/
[5] https://www.trizcom.com/blog/crisis-holding-statements
[6] https://elliotcommunications.com/key-steps-for-effective-pr-crisis-management/
[7] https://goelastic.com/crisis-communication-for-nonprofits/
[8] https://www.trizcom.com/blog/crisis-communication-examples
[9] https://www.trizcom.com/blog/crisis-communication-examples
[10] https://www.topofmind-pr.com/why-transparency-with-your-pr-agency-prevents-reputational-risk/
[11] https://www.prsa.org/article/trust-and-transparency-in-times-of-crisis
[12] https://www.5wpr.com/new/the-role-of-transparency-in-crisis-pr/