It’s a nice thought to comfort ourselves with. Sadly... it is probably not true. James Scott, disqualifying conduct: using police stables and resources to feed and care for his own horses, unauthorized taking of police ATV’s for personal use with friends and family. Rehired. Christopher Dearth- disqualifying conduct, got drunk, left his gun on the dock, operated a boat drunk, was confronted by officers, assaulted one. Rehired. Francisco Martinez- disqualifying conduct. Fired amidst a scandal where 4 officers were found guilty of falsifying statements and lying about narcotics testing to gain warrants from Judges- causing the release and dismissal of most criminals caught on those warrants. Rehired. Shawn Osborne, disqualifying conduct. Bribed witnesses to a police beating of a civilian in exchange for false or no testimony. Rehired.
I could keep going all day. In Washington state, in a 5 year period- of the 228 officers dismissed for disqualifying conduct- 178 were found to be fit for rehire. 5 states (Washington isn’t one of them) have NO legal mechanisms in place by which to revoke an officers certification- severe enough conduct may bar them from being an officer in those states, but will not result in the state revoking their certifications. Generally- states which do revoke certifications have strict guidelines on what qualifies for that, and believe it or not- racism and even excessive force are generally not included unless they result in a felony or dishonest conduct.
Dishonest conduct is very hard to prove- as a common loophole there is “statement made in error with no intent to deceive” or “misstatement.” If you and your partner tell the same lie- you can keep your job or at least hiring status almost no matter how severe the blunder- as that alone builds credibility that you simply reported what you THOUGHT happened and not what DID happen. You can be fired for being inaccurate, negligent, or lacking “common sense,” but these things don’t prevent you from getting rehired.
Charles DeShazer, recorded on body cam at the scene of officer involved shooting with black peoples as calling in status: “we have the Alabama porch m@&ke*s all contained.” Fires by his department. Rehired on appeal- to receive “discipline.” The hundreds of police nation wide like the ones in Philly- caught and catalogued on Facebook makin racist or violent comments? Like the officer who’s reply to a video of kids in a “prank” video depicting assault was: “I hope these kids get shot in the face..” of the ones that get fired at all- most go back on the street. If you want to get more depressed- go look up police involved in high profile scandals and shootings of yesteryear. We forgot about them after the verdict- but guess what? Many end up back in law enforcement or related fields.
The fact is that just because someone’s Facebook doesn’t have racist or other content- doesn’t mean they don’t WANT to post it or like it. It can often mean they know better- they are aware that could bite them and are careful. The chief of police is usually a little more savvy than the average bear. Especially in smaller forces- no one knew? Of course they did. But so and so is a “good cop” etc. as long as it isn’t causing problems- it’s what it is to keep things going. When it causes problems- they have to act shocked and dismayed and show they mean business by cutting them loose. But usually there won’t be jail time, and the officer will still be able to work in the field. It’s like a thing between the “good ol boys.”
An unwritten code of sorts- most jobs have them. Corporate America is no different. A CEO gets thrown on a fire and picks up on a board somewhere else where and when people aren’t looking. A VP embezzles money and gets caught- they aren’t the only one doing shady things- like being in a position of decisions and trust and steering the board to approve the use of vendors or products that they own a stake in or know someone who does... its how it all works. Knowing that being “inside” means that you’re relatively safe as long as you play by the rules- the off paper rules of the club- not the rules that are for outsiders and dealin with people who are a “bad fit.”
A majority of officers involved in high profile scandal have a jacket history of offenses. A single state alone in 2019 had almost 700 officers in duty who had been convicted of crimes in the previous ten year period, domestic violence being the most common charge but drunk driving, manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, and lying on the job ranked up there along with animal cruelty.
In Riverside California- the chief of police crashed a city vehicle and was convicted of a DUI with BAC of 2x the legal limit. He was a LIEUTENANT when that happened. He went from LT to in charge AFTER a DUI conviction in a city vehicle. Another officer in fell asleep on duty and killed two cyclists with his car- kept his badge.
So- it is a nice bed time story for the kids, and believe it if it comforts you- but if you prefer reality to sweet fantasy- just about the only thing that will get a cop fired and out of the force are office politics. Not misconduct, incompetence, manslaughter, DUI, child endangerment, domestic violence, even drug possession is hit or miss. A felony conviction will usually do the trick- but independent investigation (shock! Official records on such things aren’t kept..) shows that of the large numbers of officers on duty with crime convictions- a disproportionate number were originally up for felony charges and made deals for lower offenses which allowed them to keep their badges.
This is a strange read.
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It says there were actually 3 cops involved, who had been employed since the 1990s. It says that they were caught after the dashcam on their car 'accidentally' got activated. (i'm unclear on whether all 3 officers were in the car, and if so why). After about 2 hours they started talking about what would happen if there was a civil war, and comments along these lines were made.
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Their police chief is black and he fired them and made recommendations they not be hired again in that state and also is recommending they not be hired in other areas as well.
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It says there were actually 3 cops involved, who had been employed since the 1990s. It says that they were caught after the dashcam on their car 'accidentally' got activated. (i'm unclear on whether all 3 officers were in the car, and if so why). After about 2 hours they started talking about what would happen if there was a civil war, and comments along these lines were made.
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Their police chief is black and he fired them and made recommendations they not be hired again in that state and also is recommending they not be hired in other areas as well.