Was CBS Fair?
By Rick Boettger
The CBS Morning News aired a 5-minute segment titled “Death in Paradise” about the demise of Charles Eimers last Thanksgiving while being handcuffed by police after driving away from a traffic stop. Mayor Craig Cates went on the record saying the report was “one-sided.” However, the report was, if anything, overly generous towards our fair town, and critical of the late Eimers.
First, they charge Eimers with “reckless driving” when what he made was an illegal lane change in a construction area with unclear lane designations. Next they said he “fled the scene,” when in fact he drove away slowly through the town.
Worst, their only original research not already reported locally stated that he “had previous run-ins with the law, including arrests for domestic abuse and theft back in the ’90s.” That is, 20 years ago, he had arrests, but apparently no convictions, for things that had nothing to do with his actions here. It causes a mistrial in court, and is plainly prejudicial in the CBS report. It would be more appropriate to discuss the 20-year records of the arresting police, because the violence was all on their side in Eimers’ arrest.
Finally, CBS quoted arresting officers claiming Eimers resisted arrest “with violence,” so much so that one “officer’s finger got caught in the handcuffs” during the struggle. The fact is that those police reports were written five days after the accident, but before the cell phone video surfaced showing that Eimers slowly turned, raised his arms to obey police commands, and carefully lowered himself to the ground.
Eimers’ “struggle” was not to resist the police. It was to gain a breath as he was being suffocated under a wave of large bodies crushing him into the sand, as plainly shown in the shocking video.
CBS highlighted our youthful, telegenic police chief Donie Lee three times, allowing him to appear both concerned with the truth, and responsibly following policies making him do nothing about Eimers’ death. The title of the piece, displayed throughout on a line at the bottom, called us “Paradise.”
With beautiful footage, CBS describes us as “the island paradise for sun and sand . . .best known for its beaches, bars and laid-back lifestyle.” For Eimers, “It was a dream retirement … He wanted to come south to warmer weather and walk on the beach.” Our Tourist Development Council pays highly for such praise.
So those were CBS’ editorial slants, praising Key West and impugning Eimers. What the Mayor and other city representatives complained about was not editorial bias, but the plain undeniable facts, which, unfortunately for us all, are damning:
- Initial police reports of Eimers running and collapsing, and later of his struggling to resist arrest, were proven false by the video.
- Eimers’ family was not notified for four days that he was on life support.
- Instead of being sent, by law, to the Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy, his body was sent to a local funeral home, narrowly avoiding cremation.
- The autopsy showed that Eimers had 10 fractured ribs and bruises and abrasions on his wrists from handcuffs, and did not die of the heart attack that police had blamed for his death.
- The supposedly independent investigating agency that everyone is still waiting for, after six months, to conclude, is led by a woman who used to be married to the supervisor of the officers involved, all of whom are still on active duty. (CBS did not add that she is also the mother of their child.)
- The lawyers for Eimers’ children have been denied access to the police dashboard videos, the witnesses at the scene of the death, and the final autopsy report—so they cannot even collect his modest life insurance policy.
CBS avoided completely the most controversial element of the case, that police profiled Eimers as a homeless person, because his car was filled with his belongings. That would lead to discussing our Paradise’s major homeless issue, and how our police have been tasked with “handling” them, which tacitly involves rough treatment.
The only person with a clearly negative opinion, more than reporting objective facts, is Eimers’ son, Treavor. He states that his father was “murdered” and that the police have “lied” to him. That is not CBS’ opinion, it is Trevor’s, and he is entitled to have and express it.
Especially since he is overwhelmingly likely to be proven right. None of us wants to believe it, but sometimes we have to face the truth in order to make amends and stop it from happening again.
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Thank you, Rick, for this concise summation of the CBS report on Charles Eimers’ death at the hands of the KWPD. Point taken on the Mayors protestations of inconvenient truths exposed. Your last line is a view shared by all of us that love Key West and my hope has been, and still is, that one or more of the officers involved will come forward to clear their conscience. I must submit, as well, there are more “good guys” on the force than otherwise, but this tragedy puts them all in an extremely bad light.
With regard to the alleged KWPD misconduct surrounding the Charles Eimers incident, I can personally attest to having been victimized by law enforcement authorities (not KWPD) on several occasions from showing off to a trainee to creating bogus charges to counter embarrassment from professional misconduct. I have friends who have had similar “super-cop” experiences as well. I have first-hand knowledge of how the system works. It’s clear by the much-publicized saying by one KWPD officer, “You might beat the rap but you can’t beat the ride,” that intimidation plays a major role in police encounters. Notwithstanding, that attitude within the law enforcement community is more universal than local as evidenced by the plethora of videos and stories that abound in media and the Internet.
That being said, my brother was a police officer. I have a unique insight into the childish “nanny-nanny-boo-boo” that officers delight in at their victims’ expense, both innocent and convicted. It’s clear that whistleblowers within law enforcement are ostracized for doing the right thing just as Frank Serpico was in the NYPD. Those who stand on the righteous side of the “blue wall of silence” are victimized by their own, risk their careers (perhaps their own lives!) and are even scorned by the public at times. A sad truth about law enforcement’s mission to “protect and serve” is that some officers just don’t. It’s impossible to tell which ones will adhere to professional standards during any given encounter or those who will press a nasty agenda to satisfy ego or something more sinister.
I am a common, law abiding citizen and seldom have dealings with law enforcement. However, if I extrapolate a ratio from being victimized or not during the experiences I’ve had, I figure I have a 50/50 chance of being treated with respect as opposed to being an enemy of the state. Though unofficial, this is an alarming statistic. Regardless, it is my life’s experiences that determine my opinions and behavior. Consequently, I have learned the hard way that the police are not necessarily your friends. For my own protection, I have now become apprehensive of ALL law enforcement officers. For the sake of the bad apples that are PROTECTED instead of IDENTIFIED by law enforcement, I now treat all encounters with doubtful reserve and a degree of mistrust. This is sad since it is law enforcement itself that has taught me to be so wary, a 180 degree turn from my old-school values in what has become this all-about-me, screw-everyone world we now live in..
When you have a big hammer, everything looks like a nail. When you’re trained to handle criminals, you tend to treat everyone like criminals. Though I respect the tough job law enforcement does and have had laudable experiences with wonderful officers, law enforcement is a two edged sword to the common citizen. There needs to be a balance between how the guilty and innocent are treated by officers. Their judgment thereof is reserved for the courts, not by their “instincts.” I believe that some officers think that, since they are in the business of enforcing the law, they own it, taking “liberties” that will ultimately be protected behind the “blue wall of silence” and/or the municipalities/agencies they represent. This tends to embolden many to inappropriate conduct for which there is no consequence to face.
This hush-hush policy is not limited only to law enforcement. It’s everywhere. It is prevalent in all facets of business, government and society. It’s the NORM. Nevertheless, we all go on looking at our world through rose-colored glasses. We are so bombarded by the ills and evils of our world that we become mentally beat-up and apathetic enough to accept it and turn a blind eye. We circle the wagons around our own little world, not caring about what goes on outside of it as long as no arrows fall on us. However, not making a stand for what is right will eventually come back to consume us. Take heed to that bumper sticker that says, “If you’re not enraged, you’re not paying attention!” Be active, be vocal, and be assertive for what is right. On the other hand, be balanced, be respectful and be open-minded. We don’t live in individual bubbles. It’s OUR world. Let’s collectively make it a great place for all.
Hello, as known from my last name I am the daughter of one of the officers involved. However, I am sided with the author of this article. I am a senior in the Legal Studies academy located in Virginia Beach, VA. I left the island because of the treatment of the public officials. I am composing a senior project focused on police brutality and excessive force in Key West, if anyone has any stories or personal experiences involving this topic please help me help you make Key West a safer place.