Bloody Arrest at Virginia School Leads to Order for Reforms

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order Wednesday to reform policing by the state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, after white officers from the agency bloodied a black University of Virginia student during an arrest a week earlier.

A photo and video of the student, 20-year-old Martese Johnson, lying on the pavement with blood streaming down his face while an officer kneeled over him, went viral, prompting McAuliffe to swiftly order a state investigation into the incident. The results of that investigation are not in, but McAuliffe said “it is not too soon to take proactive steps to improve ABC’s Bureau of Law Enforcement.”

The executive order requires four steps for reform, including retraining of all ABC special agents in “use of force, cultural diversity, effective interaction with youth, and community policing” by Sept. 1. It also calls for an “expert review panel” made up of local and campus law enforcement agencies and sheriff’s offices to complete a review of the ABC and make recommendations for additional changes by Nov. 1.

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