101°F
weather icon Clear

EDITORIAL: Excessive force incidents demand action now

Family Court is where marriages end, child custody and support are decided, and many juveniles answer for criminal conduct. There is drama and unhappiness to spare.

The last thing stressed-out and emotional litigants need to deal with is a jack-booted security presence with a propensity for unprovoked violence and civil rights violations. Yet with each passing week, it becomes more and more clear that Clark County Family Court marshals are unsupervised, unaccountable and out of control.

The Review-Journal’s Jeff German has reported on several excessive force incidents involving Family Court marshals and allegations of subsequent cover-ups. Lawsuits already have cost taxpayers dearly. A grand jury is investigating the entire force, and the FBI has hauled away boxes of human resources files on the marshals. Among the most egregious allegations: a woman being choked by the head marshal while restrained in a chair in a holding cell, and a woman being groped — and arrested for daring to say so.

On Thursday, Mr. German reported the details of a new lawsuit, filed this week, and a settlement from last year. Both cases involved the same marshal: Brent Johnson.

In the settled case, Johnson was accused of striking from behind and tackling 66-year-old William Beaver outside the Family Court entrance in 2007. Witnesses said Johnson was the aggressor, reacting only to Mr. Beaver’s verbal complaints about security. Mr. Beaver was badly hurt and hauled off to jail, where he spent several days without ever being charged with a crime.

In the new case, Johnson is accused of slamming then-Henderson resident Peter Peterson to a concrete floor because Johnson didn’t like the man’s attitude. Mr. Peterson said the incident caused facial fractures, head contusions and spinal injuries. Witnesses interviewed for Mr. Peterson’s lawsuit said he was not unruly or combative. Two witnesses actually called 911 to request medical help for Mr. Peterson. No criminal charges against Mr. Peterson resulted from the court confrontation.

So how in the world does Johnson still have a job? How was he allowed to hurt at least one additional Southern Nevadan after the incident involving Mr. Beaver? Recall that in March, Steve Rushfield, the man at the center of the choking incident who oversaw all Family Court marshals, demoted himself. Rushfield is still a Family Court marshal.

Federal investigations often take years to result in charges, let alone trial. Southern Nevadans can’t wait that long for changes in Family Court. Judges need to provide some reassurance to the public that they’re safe inside Family Court.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
LETTER: No conspiracy involving Hunter’s laptop

The R-J should acknowledge that Mr. Trump’s lies, frauds, defamations, criminal indictments and convictions are exponentially worse than Hunter’s laptop being evidence or any of the other alleged Biden missteps.

LETTER: Trump tries to win Nevada

Mr. Trump advocating for tax-free tip income is definitely one approach to winning Nevada. But my tip to Mr. Trump is to pick Marco Rubio and show the diversity of the GOP.

EDITORIAL: Accountability thy name isn’t Biden

One of the enduring characteristics of President Joe Biden is his repeated attempts to blame imaginary gremlins for problems he himself has helped create.

NEVADA VIEWS: Strengthening democracy

In a democracy, the legitimacy of our government derives from the consent of the governed. When citizens lose faith in the electoral system, the very foundation of our republic is compromised.

COMMENTARY: The folly of ‘industrial policy’

Perhaps these leaders would be more hesitant if “industrial policy” were called “socialism.” In many ways, the description fits.

COMMENTARY: Joe Biden is the much better dictator

I’m really sorry, Democrats, there’s no vaccine for your Trump Derangement Syndrome. But as far as I can tell, thanks to your “Big Guy” Joe Biden and his caretakers, our democracy is pretty well on its way down the drain already.