Harrison says nobody was at risk and deadly force was not needed
Rodney HarrisonFormer chief of department, New York City Police Department, and former Suffolk County police commissioner, quoted by CNN as a policing expert
Former NYPD chief of department Rodney Harrison told CNN that, given what the video shows, nobody was at risk of serious physical injury or death and he did not think deadly physical force was needed.
“Was anybody at risk of serious physical injury or death? And the answer is no ... I don’t think there’s a need for deadly physical force in that situation.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was the ICE officer justified in firing at a driver during a Harrisburg vehicle stop?
On July 1, 2026, ICE officers stopped a white SUV in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and one officer fired at it as it drove away, in what PennLive counted as one shot. ICE said the stop was a targeted operation to arrest Clemente Lara-Hernandez, that he "weaponized his car and rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle", and that an officer discharged his weapon. PennLive reported that surveillance footage it obtained shows agents breaking the driver's window and the driver then trying to drive around the ICE vehicle, clipping its front end, before an agent fired one shot. FOX43 and WGAL describe the SUV striking an ICE sedan as it pulled away. Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas said the video appears inconsistent with Justice Department deadly-force policy and asked for an independent investigation, while the FBI, which PennLive and Harrisburg police say is handling the investigation, declined to discuss it. The dispute is whether the officer's decision to fire was justified.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
CNN analyzes the Harrisburg stop using surveillance video obtained by its affiliate WGAL and interviews former NYPD chiefs Kenneth Corey and Rodney Harrison. It also reports the DHS use-of-force policy on deadly force and moving vehicles.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
CNN quoted Harrison in its July 18 analysis of the Harrisburg stop.
After the quotation
CNN's article also reported that DHS policy says officers should use deadly force only when there is an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the officer's decision to fire. Harrison says nobody was at risk of serious injury or death and that deadly force was not needed, which rejects the shot as unnecessary rather than only disputing how the encounter is described.
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More from this case
Read the full caseCorey says the SUV took sideswipe damage but did not ram its way out
“He takes a little sideswipe damage, but he doesn’t ram his way out of that, by any means. ... If you’re saying that the officers are firing because the car was trying to run them over, then they’d be firing at the car as it was heading towards them, not speeding away from them”Read statement
Rodriguez says ICE agents' actions traumatized the neighborhood and apologizes to affected families
“Recently our neighborhood was traumatized by the acts of ICE agents firing rounds at an individual in the city. ... To the families traumatized due to these actions, I say to you we are truly apologetic and stand with you.”Read statement
Douglas says fleeing from law enforcement is not punishable by death and calls for an independent investigation
“Whatever crimes someone may have committed, and whatever charges they may face, fleeing from law enforcement is not punishable by death. The use of deadly force must always be justified. ... What we see in the video appears inconsistent with the U.S. Department of Justice's Policy 1-16.200, Use of Deadly Force and Prohibited Restraining Techniques, which permit such force only in narrowly defined circumstances involving an imminent threat. To truly serve justice, I believe this situation warrants a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Harrison says nobody was at risk and deadly force was not needed". First published: 2026-09-25. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/2572-former-nypd-chief-of-department-rodney-harrison-told