The U.S. Secret Service has refused to cooperate in an investigation into allegations police used excessive force while chasing a 14-year-old armed robbery suspect in Northwest Washington, officials said.
The Secret Service’s stance leaves the impression that it is above the law, said Philip Eure, executive director of the D.C. Office of Police Complaints, the quasi-independent agency investigating the matter.
“The refusal by Secret Service to cooperate falls short of what the public expects,” Eure said. “It has the potential to erode the public’s trust.”
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan would not comment on the case.
In August 2006, D.C. police and at least one uniformed Secret Service officer chased the boy into a residence in the 3600 block of 10th Street, according to the Office of Police Complaints. The teenager was released after witnesses said he wasn’t the robber.
The boy’s mother alleged that officers pointed their weapons at her and family members and used coarse language toward the people in the house.
The District subpoenaed the Secret Service officer requesting testimony and a written statement about what he observed and did that night, but the U.S. Secret Service has informed city officials that it will not comply.
The OPC only wants to interview the officer as a witness and does not have the authority to discipline the federal officer over professional misconduct, Eure said. The Secret Service also has not indicated to the District that it has reviewed the incident or its officer’s conduct.
With dozens of law enforcement agencies operating in the District, relying on each other and helping in pursuits, cooperation between agencies is vital, Eure said.
“Unfortunately, the Secret Service is not holding up to the culture of police accountability that we’re trying to foster,” Eure said.
