Officer Misconduct / Internal Affairs
The Officer Misconduct / Internal Affairs topic area features news, training and information related to cases involving potential or perceived law enforcement misconduct.
Done right, it can help satisfy the public and treat your people fairly
And job action if you ignore it
Two Colorado prosecutions of officers for failing to intervene illustrate what makes a prosecutable case
Brandon Ramos fired shots at a suspect carrying a gun, but also struck six people in the crowd behind him
Oscar Diaz was one of five officers fired after Randy Cox was paralyzed while being transported to a police station
“I hope to never hear again about an officer faking being shot. It’s outrageous, diverts public resources and dishonors officers who put their lives on the line to protect us” D.A. Jeff Rosen stated
NYPD
The NYPD and some legal experts say that the number of complaints pale in comparison “to the millions of interactions officers have with the public on an annual basis”
Beth Donovan sued the Boston Police Department after she was demoted and suspended, stating that the disciplinary measures were in retaliation for opening a misconduct investigation into another officer
Federal Appellate Court Reverses lower court and rejects Dallas officers’ qualified immunity defense
Court rules that jury could find officer’s application of a knee to a mentally ill subject’s back beyond that necessary to control him
The jury considered second-degree murder charges against officers Matthew Collins and Christopher “Shane” Burbank, and manslaughter charges against Officer Timothy Rankine, as well as Collins and Burbank
“No law enforcement agency — including the Justice Department — can effectively do its work without the trust of the public,” Attorney General Merrick Garland stated
K-9 bear died in September 2022 after being left in a patrol vehicle for 22 hours without food or water
Chief Michel Moore agreed with an internal force review board that said the officers had “sufficient time to contact” the Mental Evaluation Unit
The lawsuit centers around a failure to investigate Austin Lee Edwards’ admittance to a mental health facility during the hiring process
All six officers from various agencies were at the scene and failed to stop former deputy Andrew Buen from “needlessly escalating” the standoff
Matthew Hunter claimed he was given disproportionate punishment for his offense because he had disclosed his diagnosis
Charges were dropped for Lt. John Clary, the third of five troopers involved in a 2019 incident, following two years of withheld body camera footage
Desmond Mills Jr. entered his plea during a hearing at the Memphis federal courthouse as part of a larger agreement to settle charges in state court
“He acted independently [and] committed multiple policy violations in his decision to euthanize [Annie the deer],” Chief Mario RedLegs said
As much as 40% of Antioch’s officers are currently suspended for investigations of misconduct, some involving the FBI
Investigators found that the incidents spanned years of Patrick Heron’s service and were often committed in uniform and inside his cruiser
Caleb Rogers, 35, brandished his department-issued firearm at one of the robberies
The chief said the officer broke policy by not waiting for a supervisor to arrive after the man refused to sign a traffic citation
The 2017 incident led to the firing of both officers, one of whom had been with the department for 17 years
Lawyers for Tadarrius Bean, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith argued that they could not have a fair trial if all five ex-cops faced a jury together
Chief Gideon Cody is facing at least one federal lawsuit after a local prosecutor said there wasn’t sufficient evidence to justify the search
Some of those who espouse fair and impartial policing toward the public seem to ignore this fundamental right when overseeing matters impacting police officer rights
The deputy’s actions “far exceeded any justifiable and reasonable use of force under the circumstances,” Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell said in the termination letter
Retired officer Nabil Haidar said he was the target of anti-Muslim remarks, claiming the harassment caused him to suffer depression, anxiety and PTSD
William Anthony Spivey pleaded guilty to 14 felonies and one misdemeanor after he was accused of stealing confiscated weapons and selling them to friends
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office asked for the ex-deputy’s bail to be increased, citing his potential flight risk due to possible ties with a Mexican drug cartel
“When police officers ordered him to show his hands, he instead produced a weapon and pointed it at an armed police officer. In no world (are) those facts murder,” a defense attorney said
“As I have said from the beginning of my tenure as Chief of Police, racist comments and behavior by department employees will not be tolerated,” said Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz
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