Matthew Silverman
Role at the time: National President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, writing in an editorial
Statement summary
Matthew Silverman, National President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, wrote in a Law Enforcement Today editorial that the Austin case should not be decided through social media, political rhetoric or incomplete reporting. He said investigators should determine what happened and that the truth should emerge before judgment is rendered.
“We should not decide the Austin case through social media, political rhetoric, or incomplete reporting. We should allow investigators to determine what happened, release the facts as legally appropriate, and hold everyone involved to the same standard. The public deserves transparency. The injured individual deserves due process. The officer deserves a fair and impartial investigation. Most importantly, the truth deserves the opportunity to emerge before judgment is rendered.”
Why we used this label
The case asks whether ICE's use of force in the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was justified. Silverman does not say the shot was justified or unjustified. He writes that the Austin case should not be decided before investigators establish what happened and that judgment should wait for the facts. We used the Explicitly stayed out label because he chose to withhold judgment on the shooting itself.