DES MOINES, Iowa - Des Moines Police have recently expressed frustration with witnesses who have not cooperated with crime investigations.
Officers are still investigating the shooting death of 14-year-old Josiah Woods overnight New Year's morning in the 1400 block of 17th Street.
For its part, the department says its worked long and hard hard in communities to avoid any mistrust of officers. "I think the Des Moines Police Department has worked for decades to build some solid relationships in our community," said Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek. "I think this is something that we've seen with younger people recently, and there's really no explanation for a lot of it."
Supporters of minority and poor communities say the mistrust of police often stems from excessive surveillance of certain areas. "I guarantee you in the poorer community, you're going to see a whole lot more police presence, a larger police presence in the marginalized community than you do in the wealthy communities," said Negus Imhotep, the Des Moines Public School Liaison and Workforce Development Coordinator for Urban Dreams.
Another issue for witnesses of crimes is the fear of retaliation from perpetrators. Des Moines Police say that fear counter productive. "The best thing we can say is if you're worried about somebody, then you help us put them in jail where they can't hurt you or anybody else," Sgt. Parizek said.
But Imhotep contends police can't guarantee protection of witnesses who speak out. "You can call the police, but you hope that they come there quick," Imhotep said. "But within a few seconds something can happen."
Des Moines Police say the lack of cooperation in the shooting of Josiah Woods will slow down their investigation, although they're confident suspects will eventually be arrested.
Imhotep points our that Urban Dreams is working to bridge a gap in trust between police, and minority and poor communities. "The police as well as the kids always point and say us and them," said Imhotep. "But when we finally come to realize, it's not just us and them, it's all of us." Imhotep told WHO Radio News that Urban Dreams has a number of initiatives to connect police and community members, including a summer three-on-three basketball program.
Police found Woods with a gunshot wound at roughly 3:50 a.m. New Year's Day. He was pronounced dead at the scene.