February 29, 2012 The Honorable Judge Maureen E.

Walsh First Justice Holyoke District Court 20 Court Plaza Holyoke, MA 01040 Re: Sentencing of Jeffrey M. Asher

Dear Judge Walsh

There is simply no better way to begin this letter than with an affirmation of the excellent job that most Springfield Police Department officers do. It is greatly appreciated that they literally put their lives on the line with each shift worked. That being said, it is also our perspective that too many Springfield citizens have experienced unjust targeting, humiliation, loss of physical freedom, and even physical harm at the hands of a relatively few Springfield Police officers.
We are confident that it is possible for police to protect and serve Springfield

residents without violating the integrity of their profession and without infringing on the civil rights of others. However, in order for the Springfield Police Department to be an organization that Springfield residents can trust and for police-community relations to be improved, there is a compelling need to deal with both the proclivity for officers to cover the misdeeds of their peers and for law enforcement to send a resounding message when police officers are found guilty of violating both the law and the trust of those they are duty bound to serve. It is only appropriate that in conferring the police with powers, particularly the power to use lethal force, that they are also held to a higher standard

regarding upholding the law. Our community has known Jeffrey Asher as an abuser of police power for well over a decade. While he has not been criminally charged for his antics in the past, his name has become synonymous with police brutality and misconduct. His conduct as a rogue police officer has cost the taxpayers of the city of Springfield hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements, not counting legal fees. The fact that many of the victims of his abuse through the years have been black and Latino has only exacerbated an already tenuous relationship between communities of color and the police department. Mr. Asher has singlehandedly turned back the clock on police community relations and eroded efforts toward rebuilding trust. It is important that a clear and concise message be communicated to both the police department regarding the seriousness of abusing their power and the community regarding the fact that no one, even a police officer, is above the law. Jeffrey Asher has been a scourge on our community and has terrorized our neighborhoods for far too long. His conviction provides a glimmer of hope regarding a criminal justice system that has, for far too often, meted out justice in a manner that has neither been fair nor equitable. His sentencing may well determine whether or not that glimmer of hope is extinguished. As you deliberate concerning an appropriate sentence for Mr. Asher, please consider the negative impact his actions have had on our city as a whole; the resources squandered to settle lawsuits as a result of his abusive style of policing, the lives that have been altered as a result of his abuse and the erosion of both trust and credibility that law enforcement has suffered as a result of his prolonged reign of terror. Sincerely, Springfield Branch NAACP Rev. Talbert W. Swan, II, President