Sheriff’s Deputy, Ben Fields was fired on Wednesday, Oct. 28 after county officials reviewed a recording of the officer who picked up a student and threw her across the classroom at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina.
“He picked a student up, and threw the student across the room; that is not a proper technique,” Sheriff Leon Lott of Richland County said at a news conference in Columbia. “Deputy Ben Fields did wrong…so we’re taking responsibility for that.”
Lott said he was glad students documented the arrest with video recordings because it was easier to review the case and the “maneuver” that Fields used to control the student.
Fields was called to an Algebra 1 class because a sophomore student was refusing to listen to her teacher’s request to stop using her cellphone. After she refused to leave the classroom, Fields forced her from her desk by flipping the desk on top of her and dragging her to the front of the classroom.
“It’s not what I expect from my deputies, and it’s not what I tolerate from deputies,” Lott said.
Although the Sheriff said Fields used improper technique, he also said part of the incident is the student’s responsibility because she was disrupting the class and refused to leave the classroom. However, Lott said the student’s actions don’t justify what the deputy did.
“Let me tell you what he should not have done…he should not have thrown the student,” Lott said. “He tried to do his job—it happened very quickly. His actions were something that, if he probably had to do it over again, he’d have probably done it different.” Lott said Fields’ goal should have been to talk with the student about the situation before resorting to any physical content.
“He’s sorry that this whole thing occurred,” Lott said, who had spoken to Fields about the situation. “It was not his intent. His intent was not to do anything that brought discredit on this Sheriff’s Department or him or that school. He tried to do his job, and that’s what he feels like he did.”
The teacher and administrator who were in the classroom at the time of the incident supported fields, as well as one student, saying they “felt the deputy acted appropriately.” Lott said they supported his actions and had no problem with the physical part. Although Spring Valley officials supported Fields’ actions, Lott said it was “very evident” to decide to fire the deputy.
According to NPR, Lott requested an independent federal investigation after the incident made headlines. Lott said the U.S. Justice Department said it’s opening a civil rights investigation.Fields has been a subject of previous lawsuits. One of the cases was decided in his favor, another was pending, according to the New York Times. Along with law enforcement work at Spring Valley, he was also a football coach.
During a regular scheduled board meeting for Richland School District 2, more than a dozen parents and residents spoke about the videotape and the incident. Many observers discussed the motives for his behavior. ‘
Superintendent, Debbie Hamm thanked Lott for a “swift response.”
“We know important work is ahead of us as we thoughtfully and carefully review the decision-making progress that may lead to a school resource officer taking the leading handling a student disruption,” Hamm said. “Conversations that have already started will continue around how we work with the sheriff’s department on improvement and coordination of our work as educators and their work as law enforcement officers.”
Lott said that he expected that the student would still face the prosecution, who was arrested on a charge of disturbing the school. According to NPR, Lott said he’s not analyzing the student’s behavior—only the officer’s actions. Lott said that he doubts whether race played a role in The Justice Department is also conducting a civil rights investigation that could lead to criminal charges against Fields.
Gabrielle Sharp
Executive Editor