Kenneth Bowes, officer in Lavon King shooting, has numerous Use of Force reports

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While much is known about the criminal record of Lavon King, the Jersey City Police Officer who fatally shot him – Kenneth Bowes - was involved in at least twenty instances where a Use of Force report was filed.

Lavon King March - JCPD

Following the shooting death of Lavon King, the public was made aware of his criminal record – which included five open cases for drugs and theft, as well as a pending violation of prohibition.

According to information provided to Hudson County View, it appears the officer who fatally shot him – Kenneth Bowes – was involved in at least twenty instances where a Use of Force report was filed.

According to the New Jersey Attorney General Use of Force Policy set in 2000, a Use of Force (UoF) report must be produced:

In all instances when physical, mechanical or deadly force is used, each officer who has employed such force shall complete

1. Any reports made necessary by the nature of the underlying incident; and

2. Use of Force Report (Attachment A or agency required format)

For the year 2010, Bowes had 4 UoF reports – all involving black men (ages 17, 20, 25, and 37). Only the 17-year-old had a weapon, and the report indicates the subject was part of a crime in progress with shots fired.

In 2011, Bowes had 6 UoF reports – 5 were black men (ages 23, 25, 25, 26, and 29) and 1 was a Hispanic male (age 31), none had weapons.

Then in 2012, Bowes only had 1 UoF report – an incident with a 20-year-old white female who did not have a weapon, which occurred in late February of that year.

It should be noted that the last name of the woman is a Hispanic surname, and she is the only woman listed in any of Bowes UoF reports.

For the year 2013, Bowes had 8 UoF reports – all involving black men (ages 15, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29, 49, and 54). Two had weapons – the 28-year-old attempted suicide with a handgun and it was not clear what weapon the 26-year-old had – according to the reports.

Finally in 2014, the only UoF report Hudson County View obtained of Bowes was in regards to Lavon King – who was identified as having a weapon, according to the report.

In his June 25, 2014 press release, Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Gene Rubino did not mention that King had a weapon.

An email seeking comment from Rubino regarding if King possessed a weapon not mentioned in the press release, or if it was considered that he had a weapon because he allegedly struggled with Bowes for his weapon, was not returned.

King’s death remains an ongoing investigation in the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit and Internal Affairs Unit.

As a reference point to interpret Bowes’ UoF reports, extensive data provided to Hudson County View shows that 182 Jersey City Police Officers filed 329 UoF reports in the year 2011.

Below is a table of the number of UoF reports filed, and how many officers filed that number of reports (with the highest number of UoF reports being 8):

UoF Reports – Number of Officers
1 – 110
2 – 39
3 – 14
4 – 6
5 – 7
6 – 3
7 – 2
8 – 1

All of Bowes’ UoF reports prior to the King incident appear to indicate that he was working in the South District of Jersey City, but Hudson County View was unable to verify. Bowes is identified as an Emergency Services Unit officer in the King report and Hudson County Prosecutor’s press release.

An email seeking comment on Bowes’ employment status with the Jersey City Police Department was not returned by city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill.

In an interview with Hudson County View, Lavon King’s brother, Lydel King, said that it would bring “no pleasure to me or my family if [Bowes] gets fired or goes to jail,” and that he’s simply interested in the truth.

As previously noted by Hudson County View, according to NJ.com, Bowes received an award for making 30 DWI busts in 2013 – tied for the most in Hudson County – at a Mothers Against Drunk Driving event two weeks prior to the fatal encounter with King.

A 2012 story in the Jersey Journal mentioned Bowes, among other police officers and firefighters, for their heroic effort in saving three people – including a 3-year-old boy – from a fire three days after Hurricane Sandy.

During an interview with Hudson County View, Police Officer Carmine Disbrow – President of the Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association – said cases like Lavon King highlight the need for officers to be equipped with non-lethal weapons.

Disbrow said pepper spray and stun guns were non-lethal weapons that police officers should be equipped with.


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2 COMMENTS

  1. It’s no surprise that this COP has a high number of uof reports. This is a NATIONAL PROBLEM where COPS realize they can plainly get away with MURDERING African Americans with impunity and more likely to result in PAID LEAVE rather than CONSEQUENCES that match what normal citizens would face. Also , police UNIONS are only there to get the COP off from any MURDERS they commit, unless there is overwhelming evidence of guilt, which only occurres extremely rarely. Why , WHY should COPS ( not police officers) stop their practices of MURDERING UNARMED BLACK PEOPLE, when they face “ABSOLUTELY NO CONSEQUENCES” , NONE AT ALL & MAY EVEN RECEIVE A “INCREASE IN SALARY, which happened in the Staten island MURDER of a UNARMED BLACK MAN MURDERED by the COP using a banned “CHOKE HOLD”, while being video taped and “NO CHARGES EVER FILED” although the MURDER victim was no threat to police , or to anyone else. His head was mashed into the concrete ground, as he was held on the ground, while trying to scream , “I CAN’T BREATHE”, and the reason this BLACK MAN was MURDERED, “WAS BECAUSE HE WAS ALLEGEDLY SELLING LOOSE CIGARETTES, WHICH MANY , MANY , MANY STORES IN URBAN AREAS ALSO SELL , but are not MURDERED by COPS for doing so. Plus , statistics SHOW THAT BLACK MALES ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BE MURDERED BY COPS AND NON LETHAL FORCE IS RARELY USED IN INCIDENCES WHERE A BLACK PERSON IS INVOLVED , IT IS USED IN CASES INVOLVING WHITES IN MOST INCIDENCES. PLUS THE LIES TOLD BY COPS , WHICH ARE IMPLIMENTED BY THEIR SO CALLED UNIONS , THE VICTIM’S PAST ARREST RECORD IS RELEASED RIGHT AS THE MURDER IS ANNOUNCED, WHILE THE RECORD OF THE NURDERER (COPS ) IS KEPT SECRET. PLUS THE RELEASE OF A VICTIM’S RECORD INCLUDES THE ARREST RECORD , WHICH INCREASES THE AMOUNT REPORTED BECAUSE BEING ARRESTED DOES NOT INCLUDE THE RECORD OF CONVICTIONS. REMEMBER MANY ARE ARRESTED MANY TIMES , BUT ARE NEVER CONVICTED , OR NOT FOUND TO HAVE COMMITED ANY CRIME BECAUSE THEY WERE INNOCENT OF THE CHARGES. THAT IS NEVER A PART OF THE POLICE ARREST RECORDS WHICH THE POLICE THEMSELVES RELEASE , WHICH INDICATES A BIAS AND IS ONLY USED TO SWAY PUBLIC OPINION AND TO “”SMEAR THE VICTIM”” !! WHAT OTHER REASON WOULD THE POLICE DO THAT & WHY IS THAT ALLOWED & USED !!!?? It’s time for many changes in the ENTIRE SYSTEM CALLED JUSTICE , WHICH HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE THE ONSET OF AMERICA AND WAS THE NUMBER ONE REASON WHY THE BLACK PANTHERS WERE FORMED , WHICH WAS TO END POLICE BRUTALITY AND THE MURDER OF BLACK MALES & BLACK WOMEN, BUT THEY WERE CALLED TERRORISTS BY POLICE AND RONALD REAGAN, WHILE HE WAS GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA, DUE TO THE BLACK PANTHERS BEING FORMED IN THAT STATE. THOSE LABELS WERE PURE LIES AND PROPAGANDER BY LAW ENFORCEMENT, WHICH THE FBI HAS ADMITTED TO INCLUDING THE MURDER OF BLACK PANTHERS BEING MURDERED WHILE THEY SLEPT IN CHICAGO AND THEN LIED ABOUT IT, ALTHOUGH POLICE WHO TOOK PART ADMITTED TO THEIR CRIMES LATER DURING HEARINGS , ALTHOUGH THEY WERE NOT GIVEN ANY PRISON SENTENCES AT ALL. THE BLACK PANTHERS WERE CALLED COP KILLERS , BUT HAVE NEVER KILLED ANY POLICE. I COULD GO ON AND ON AND ON ABOUT WHAT THE PROBLEMS AND ISSUES ARE , WHILE BIGOTS AND RACIST IN AMERICA COMPLAIN ABOUT THOSE WHO PROTEST AGAINST POLICE MURDERS , WHICH ONLY MEANS THAT THEY ARE IN SUPPORT OF THE MURDERS BY COPS ON BLACK PEOPLE, OR “WHITE DENIAL”, WHICH WHITES MINIMIZE THE MURDERS BY COPS , “IT MUST BE MORE TO WHAT HAPPENED THAT IS NOT SEEN IN THE VIDEO TAPE OF THE MURDER BY COPS” !! Or ,”THEY ( the MURDER victims) SHOULD HAVE NOT MOVED , MEANING IT’S THE MURDER VICTIMS FAULT FOR THEIR OWN MURDERS”” !! AMAZING , JUST AMAZING!! WOULD THE SAME BE SAID ABOUT WHITE MURDER VICTIMS OF POLICE , IF THERE WAS THE SAME HISTORY AND RECORD OF WHITES BEING MURDERED AT THE EXACT NUMBERS AS BLACK PEOPLE ARE !!! THE ANSWER ONE HAS TO THAT QUESTION WILL INDICATE WHAT RACE THAT PERSON LIKELY IS & DETERMINE IF THE PERSON ANSWERING IS A BIGOT AND A RACIST. THAT INCLUDES THOSE WHO MINIMIZE OR CLAIM THAT THE INCIDENT DID NOT OCCUR. MAYBE IT’S TIME TO IMPLIMENT “”TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION HEARINGS”” , LIKE SOUTH AFRICA DID TO ADDRESS AND END APARTHEID , BUT IN AMERICA, THE CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE , THE HISTORY , THE IMPACT FROM SLAVERY AND HOW IT CONTINUES TO IMPACT AMERICA DAILY AND WOULD RATHER IGNORE IT AND SAY “”IT DOES NOT EXIST”””! JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THE SURVEYS WHERE WHITES STATE , “”THAT THERE IS NO RACIAL PROBLEMS IN AMERICA”” , WHILE AFRICAN AMERICANS REPORT IN EXTREMELY HIGH NUMBERS OF THE OPPOSITE OCCURRING””, “”THAT YES RACISM & RACE IS A HUGE PROBLEM IN AMERICA TODAY”” !! SO BE HONEST , DISCUSS WHAT THE FACTS ARE & NOT WHAT THEIR OPINIONS ARE BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO THEIR OWN OPINION, BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHTS TO HAVE THEIR OWN FACTS !!! THANK YOU, INCLUDING THOSE WHO ARE BIGOTS AND RACIST!!! HAVE A NICE DAY WHILE LISTENING TO THE NAME CALLING THAT WILL BE ONE OF THE RESULTS TO BE RECEIVED IN RESPONSE TO MY COMMENT HERE , SINCE THAT’S ONE OF THE MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIORS THAT BIGOTS AND RACIST EXHIBIT, AND THINK NOBODY NOTICES. AGAIN I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THIS ISSUE , HOWEVER, I WON’T! THANKS

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