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Sheriff: Poor communication marked standoff By Jessica Smith of the Mail Tribune When two Jackson County sheriff's deputies responded to an Oregon State Police call for backup in late December, they didn't know what they were stepping into. Sheriff Bob Kennedy says that's a problem. "I wouldn't say we made mistakes, but I would say we certainly didn't communicate very well," Kennedy said of the Dec. 28 police shooting of an unarmed man at the OSP headquarters in Central Point. "The right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing." According to Kennedy, officers were looking for direction when they arrived at the OSP parking lot but received none, creating confusion early on about who was managing the scene and what each agency's role was in the case. Four law enforcement agencies -- OSP, the sheriff's department, and Medford and Central Point police -- were on scene when Cole Younger Smith, 25, was shot and killed. Kennedy, who was not present during the incident, said his review of the case shows a clear need for improved communication among agencies. OSP was the lead agency Dec. 28, and Kennedy said responding officers should have switched to that organization's dispatch frequency to coordinate police activity. Instead, officers remained on their own agency's dispatch frequencies. OSP Lt. Terry Simons, incident commander the night Smith was shot, said switching frequencies would have made little difference in the case. Officers in the parking lot, where Smith held police at bay while he drove his pickup back and forth, were close enough that radio communication was unnecessary. But Simons agreed that communication between agencies could be improved. "You can't prevent people like Cole Smith from coming into an area ... but you can educate police and train them for these situations," Simons said. Part of the problem, Kennedy said, is that local law enforcement agencies have yet to develop a protocol for situations that require multi-agency response. But a solution is in the works, Medford police Lt. Tim George said. MPD recently sent law enforcement administrators a draft of a cooperative policing agreement for "critical incidents" such as the Smith case. The agreement would be added to protocols that already have been adopted by local agencies for inter-city police pursuits, investigations and training. Kennedy said he'll work to see that the critical incident agreement requires officers to switch to the lead agency's dispatch frequency to streamline police efforts. While George agreed that communication is key to a coordinated response, he said he isn't ready to sign off on Kennedy's suggestion. George said administrative reviews of the Smith case will give police a better idea about where improvements are needed. "I want the people who were there making what they thought were the best decisions to have a chance to reflect on that and tell us what they think they could have done better," George said. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA