This week, news came of a man shot and killed by a North Carolina state trooper during a traffic stop. Daniel Kevin Harris, a 29-year-old deaf man, was stopped only a few yards from his home, according to his brother Sam Harris. The highway patrol have said that a state trooper attempted to pull Daniel over for speeding and, when he didn't comply, a chase ensued. The chase ended when Daniel stopped in a neighborhood where officials say "an encounter took place" between him and the state trooper. This encounter ended with a single shot which left Daniel dead. The trooper is now on administrative leave while a formal investigation is conducted, according to highway patrol, however this incident has brought an often overlooked issue into the limelight. Police violence against the deaf and hard-of-hearing is not an uncommon occurrence.
Just over a year ago a deaf man in Florida, Edward P. Miller, was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy. And little over two months before that, a 19-year-old girl, who was partially deaf, was beaten by Memphis TSA because she didn't understand their directions. Moreover, the organization HEARD (Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of the Deaf) reports at least 26 instances of police brutality against the deaf and hard-of-hearing in the last five years and in the last two years at least 4 deaf individuals have been killed by the police.
In these situations, a large problem is communication. Not many deaf people can speak. Therefore, when they are handcuffed they have no way to communicate their disability to the police. In addition, the police can often mistake efforts to sign for resistance or hostility. Even the Basic Law Enforcement Training manual states that when pulled over by an officer deaf people have been "...shot and killed because [they] made a quick move for a pen and pad..." In the aftermath of this recent tragedy, many wonder whether officers are trained well enough in dealing with the deaf.
Daniel Harris's family is currently collecting money which will be used to create a foundation in his name. The foundation will provide additional training for police concerning interactions with the hearing impaired. Donations can be made on their YouCaring page at youcaring.com/danielkharris
Any police officers interested in learning more about how to interact with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing can reference the web page for the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA.gov
