Cedar Rapids police union issues statement supporting officer in shooting investigation

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids Police Bargaining Unit has released a statement in support of Officer Lucas Jones, the subject of an officer-involved shooting investigation.

Last week, Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden said a grand jury is to decide whether the Nov. 1 shooting of 38-year-old Jerime Mitchell by Jones was justified or if charges are warranted. Mitchell was shot following a traffic stop near Coe College that police said escalated into an altercation between he and Jones.

'The Union fully supports Officer Jones,” the statement from the CRPBU reads. 'A grand jury proceeding is not an indication of any wrongdoing.”

Several questions about the shooting have not been publicly addressed, including what prompted the traffic stop and what led to the altercation. The union said in its statement that it does not have any more information about the shooting than the general public.

'However, knowing the hiring standards of this department, the training required for officers to become certified and maintain that certification and knowing Officer Jones from working with him, we feel confident that the grand jury will return a no bill,” the union said.

A ruling of 'no bill” would mean the grand jury concludes no criminal charges should be filed, Vander Sanden explained.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation was immediately called upon to investigate the officer-involved shooting, which is standard practice in such cases. Vander Sanden said he received the DCI report last Wednesday, but has asked them to obtain unspecified 'supplemental information.”

Mitchell's family and friends, as well as community members, have called for the release of dash camera footage of the incident, disciplinary action against Jones and an independent investigation into the shooting. City officials have said they are not going to release any evidence, including dash camera footage, before being cleared to do so by Vander Sanden due to concerns about compromising the investigation.

Vander Sanden said he was not compelled by public pressure to have a grand jury decide the case, but did say he believes the public would have more confidence in a decision rendered by an 'independent and impartial body.”

The union said it supports Vander Sanden's decision.

'Given the current national climate, we feel that the impartial results of a grand jury will assist in maintaining and building the trust and working relationship between the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the citizens it serves,” the union said.

The 7-person grand jury is to be presented evidence and testimony and has the ability to subpoena additional witnesses and records. The grand jury's deliberations are to be private, but the decision is to be public record.