Post by Critique on Feb 20, 2007 19:51:08 GMT -5
February 13, 2007
MOUNT PLEASANT - Four police officers resigned and one was fired after an internal investigation revealed that officers on duty played video games and football, watched movies and sports, slept, did not respond to calls and failed to document incidents and vehicle searches, Acting Police Chief Harry Sewell said Monday.
“I regret having to stand here before you discussing the action of a select few who have violated our public trust rather than the efforts of the other 132 hard-working, sworn officers who were at the time serving and have continued to serve the citizens of the town of Mount Pleasant in a professional manner which they deserve and expect,” he said.
Field Training Officer Todd White, Pfc. Timothy Webb, Pfc. Carl Muirhead and Field Training Officer Samuel Tillman resigned Jan. 29. Pfc. Natasha Hopps was fired Jan. 30 after refusing to resign. Hopps said her firing was changed to a resignation after she filed a grievance with the town. An unidentified sergeant was suspended for one day for allowing three or more officers to meet for meals while on duty.
Sewell said the misconduct came to his attention Jan. 24 when an unidentified rookie officer who was asked to rate his training experience described the inappropriate behavior.
“Those types of action will not be tolerated. We swiftly took care of this,” he said.
Sewell said the investigation is complete, it did not involve criminal activity and the town is safe. He said he is confident that safeguards will prevent a recurrence of the sort of behavior described in the report.
The town released the investigation results in response to a state Freedom of Information Act request from The Post and Courier on Jan. 31. The Moultrie News also filed a FOIA request.
According to the report, an unidentified trainee told investigators that he, Webb and White watched the movie “Talladega Nights” at Webb’s house while on duty.
Another statement by an unidentified trainee described the trainee, White, Muirhead and Webb playing two-on-two touch football by the lights of White’s cruiser at about 2 a.m. at an old water tower location off Whipple Road known as “The Hole.” Webb accidentally rolled onto the hood of White’s cruiser after going up to catch the ball, the trainee said.
Hopps said her statements to investigators were made under duress because she was threatened with jail if she didn’t cooperate. “It’s not factually based,” she said of the report. “When you are a police officer treated as a criminal, automatically you kind of freak out.”
Hopps said she was speaking for all of the five officers who resigned. The others did not wish to speak publicly because they are seeking other law enforcement jobs, she said. Hopps said she plans to apply to law school. Hopps said she will sue the city. “My personnel file is completely clean.”
Hopps said her behavior reflected a culture at the police department.
“I have no previous experience. When I came to the department, this is how I learned to behave,” she said. She said she had been at the department less than two years. All of the officers had been at the department less than five years.
Hopps acknowledged watching a DVD on her police-issued laptop, talking on a cell phone and reading a book on duty. She worked on the night shift from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Many of the incidents described in the report happened on the night shift.
Hopps denied the contents of the internal investigation report in many instances. She said she made the statements describing her inappropriate behavior after investigators told her that the other members of her team had implicated her.
Hopps confirmed that she watched a movie on her laptop with Tillman while they were parked behind Wal-Mart. She said she would go to a call, and then resume watching the movie.
Sewell said at the press conference he would not answer questions about the conduct of specific officers, instead letting the records released Monday speak for themselves. When asked about Hopps’ allegations, he repeated that position, and declined to comment on what she said about being coerced into admitting that she behaved inappropriately while on duty.
www.charleston.net/assets/webPages/departmental/news/Stories.aspx?section=localnews&tableId=130312&pubDate=2/13/2007
MOUNT PLEASANT - Four police officers resigned and one was fired after an internal investigation revealed that officers on duty played video games and football, watched movies and sports, slept, did not respond to calls and failed to document incidents and vehicle searches, Acting Police Chief Harry Sewell said Monday.
“I regret having to stand here before you discussing the action of a select few who have violated our public trust rather than the efforts of the other 132 hard-working, sworn officers who were at the time serving and have continued to serve the citizens of the town of Mount Pleasant in a professional manner which they deserve and expect,” he said.
Field Training Officer Todd White, Pfc. Timothy Webb, Pfc. Carl Muirhead and Field Training Officer Samuel Tillman resigned Jan. 29. Pfc. Natasha Hopps was fired Jan. 30 after refusing to resign. Hopps said her firing was changed to a resignation after she filed a grievance with the town. An unidentified sergeant was suspended for one day for allowing three or more officers to meet for meals while on duty.
Sewell said the misconduct came to his attention Jan. 24 when an unidentified rookie officer who was asked to rate his training experience described the inappropriate behavior.
“Those types of action will not be tolerated. We swiftly took care of this,” he said.
Sewell said the investigation is complete, it did not involve criminal activity and the town is safe. He said he is confident that safeguards will prevent a recurrence of the sort of behavior described in the report.
The town released the investigation results in response to a state Freedom of Information Act request from The Post and Courier on Jan. 31. The Moultrie News also filed a FOIA request.
According to the report, an unidentified trainee told investigators that he, Webb and White watched the movie “Talladega Nights” at Webb’s house while on duty.
Another statement by an unidentified trainee described the trainee, White, Muirhead and Webb playing two-on-two touch football by the lights of White’s cruiser at about 2 a.m. at an old water tower location off Whipple Road known as “The Hole.” Webb accidentally rolled onto the hood of White’s cruiser after going up to catch the ball, the trainee said.
Hopps said her statements to investigators were made under duress because she was threatened with jail if she didn’t cooperate. “It’s not factually based,” she said of the report. “When you are a police officer treated as a criminal, automatically you kind of freak out.”
Hopps said she was speaking for all of the five officers who resigned. The others did not wish to speak publicly because they are seeking other law enforcement jobs, she said. Hopps said she plans to apply to law school. Hopps said she will sue the city. “My personnel file is completely clean.”
Hopps said her behavior reflected a culture at the police department.
“I have no previous experience. When I came to the department, this is how I learned to behave,” she said. She said she had been at the department less than two years. All of the officers had been at the department less than five years.
Hopps acknowledged watching a DVD on her police-issued laptop, talking on a cell phone and reading a book on duty. She worked on the night shift from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Many of the incidents described in the report happened on the night shift.
Hopps denied the contents of the internal investigation report in many instances. She said she made the statements describing her inappropriate behavior after investigators told her that the other members of her team had implicated her.
Hopps confirmed that she watched a movie on her laptop with Tillman while they were parked behind Wal-Mart. She said she would go to a call, and then resume watching the movie.
Sewell said at the press conference he would not answer questions about the conduct of specific officers, instead letting the records released Monday speak for themselves. When asked about Hopps’ allegations, he repeated that position, and declined to comment on what she said about being coerced into admitting that she behaved inappropriately while on duty.
www.charleston.net/assets/webPages/departmental/news/Stories.aspx?section=localnews&tableId=130312&pubDate=2/13/2007