Oregon Police Officer Jeff Brown, who was suspended last year following an internal affairs investigation involving several women, was put on paid administrative leave late last month.
Mayor Mike Seferian said police are looking at whether Brown, the son of former Mayor Marge Brown, violated department rules, but would not disclose details because the matter is under investigation.
“Pending the outcome of the investigation, we just put him on administrative leave,” said Seferian.
It is the latest police department investigation of Brown.
He received disciplinary action last year as the result of an investigation that stretched back seven years. He was suspended for 20 days for his repeated and illegal use of the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS) to gain information about an ex-girlfriend over a two year period.
In addition to the 20-day suspension, Brown received a verbal reprimand for interfering in the private business or affairs of another woman, Vicky Ferris, a teacher at St. Patrick of Heatherdowns Elementary School. Ferris contacted police to complain that Brown had allegedly portrayed her as a convicted felon.
Brown was blocked from using the Northwest Ohio Regional Information System (NORIS) and LEADS for six months and was suspended from the Special Response Team (SRT) for six months.
Allegations that Brown had sex with a woman while he was on duty in 2002 were substantiated by the investigation, but were dismissed because of the absence of a report on the matter.
Nichole Rhoades had alleged she and Brown had sex in Fire Station No. 2 on Wheeling Street, at the Comfort Inn, in the playground area of New Harvest Church on Seaman Road, and in the parking lot of Coy School on Wheeling Street while Brown was on duty.
The report, issued last September 4, couldn’t have come at a worse time for Brown’s mother, who ran against Seferian for a third term last November. She said at the time that the investigation had been politically motivated. Seferian said he had nothing to do with the investigation, which was started by Stager several months before the election.
Seferian, a long time councilman, beat Brown 61.17 percent to 38.83 percent of the vote and in each of the city’s 19 precincts.
Showing posts with label sex on duty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sex on duty. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Friday, February 05, 2010
Officer Michael Delmont Jr Charged with Having Sex on Duty
A Chisago County police officer was charged this week with misconduct for allegedly having on-duty sex and providing alcohol to a 19-year-old college student whom he may have met while serving as her high school resource officer.
An investigation continues into whether Officer Michael Joseph Delmont, Jr. was involved with the student before she turned 18 or whether he may have had inappropriate contact with other former students.
"In my 20-plus years of prosecution, I've never seen anything quite like this," said Isanti County Attorney Jeff Edblad, whose office is handling the case to avoid a conflict of interest. "What stands out to me is the allegations, if proven true, are very disturbing because it shows a police officer putting his own wants and needs ahead of public safety. He's putting his own gratuitous self-pleasure ahead of serving the constituents of his town."
Delmont, of Lino Lakes, a member of the 12-officer Lakes Area Police Department, is charged with police officer misconduct and furnishing liquor to a minor - both gross misdemeanors - and obstructing the legal process, a misdemeanor. He was arrested Thursday and released Friday without bail, under conditions that include staying away from the woman and surrendering all firearms.
Delmont was placed on paid administrative leave from his job, according to Lakes Area deputy chief Bill Schlumbohm.
Charges filed Thursday stem from a relationship Delmont allegedly had starting in 2007 with the woman, who is now 21 and a college student. According to the charges, the two had multiple sexual encounters while Delmont was on duty and after the student had drunk alcohol and had driven to meet him at Ki Chi Saga Park in Lindstrom during the spring of 2007.
Later that summer, Delmont provided her with alcohol and, though he was aware she had been drinking before meeting him, he allowed her to drive away, charges say.
An investigation continues into whether Officer Michael Joseph Delmont, Jr. was involved with the student before she turned 18 or whether he may have had inappropriate contact with other former students.
"In my 20-plus years of prosecution, I've never seen anything quite like this," said Isanti County Attorney Jeff Edblad, whose office is handling the case to avoid a conflict of interest. "What stands out to me is the allegations, if proven true, are very disturbing because it shows a police officer putting his own wants and needs ahead of public safety. He's putting his own gratuitous self-pleasure ahead of serving the constituents of his town."
Delmont, of Lino Lakes, a member of the 12-officer Lakes Area Police Department, is charged with police officer misconduct and furnishing liquor to a minor - both gross misdemeanors - and obstructing the legal process, a misdemeanor. He was arrested Thursday and released Friday without bail, under conditions that include staying away from the woman and surrendering all firearms.
Delmont was placed on paid administrative leave from his job, according to Lakes Area deputy chief Bill Schlumbohm.
Charges filed Thursday stem from a relationship Delmont allegedly had starting in 2007 with the woman, who is now 21 and a college student. According to the charges, the two had multiple sexual encounters while Delmont was on duty and after the student had drunk alcohol and had driven to meet him at Ki Chi Saga Park in Lindstrom during the spring of 2007.
Later that summer, Delmont provided her with alcohol and, though he was aware she had been drinking before meeting him, he allowed her to drive away, charges say.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Officer James Formby Pleads Guitly to Having Sex with Woman He Was Helping
A Metropolitan Police officer has pleaded guilty to misconduct after he had sex on duty with a woman he was meant to be helping.
Pc James Formby, 31, and a colleague responded to a suspected domestic abuse incident in Bromley last September.
He stayed with the woman while a man was taken to a police station, then engaged in sexual activity with the woman, who had been drinking.
Formby, who has been suspended from the force, will be sentenced on 1 March.
'Vulnerable and scared'
The officer, based at Bromley Police station, pleaded guilty to one charge of misconduct in public office at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday.
The investigation was carried out by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) following a referral from the Met.
IPCC Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne said: "Police officers hold a unique position of trust in the eyes of the public and it is disgraceful that Pc Formby abused that trust in this case.
"He should have been supporting a woman who was vulnerable and scared but instead he exploited the situation and his behaviour was completely inappropriate."
A Met Police spokesman said Pc Formby has been suspended pending disciplinary hearings, which will take place after sentencing.
Pc James Formby, 31, and a colleague responded to a suspected domestic abuse incident in Bromley last September.
He stayed with the woman while a man was taken to a police station, then engaged in sexual activity with the woman, who had been drinking.
Formby, who has been suspended from the force, will be sentenced on 1 March.
'Vulnerable and scared'
The officer, based at Bromley Police station, pleaded guilty to one charge of misconduct in public office at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday.
The investigation was carried out by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) following a referral from the Met.
IPCC Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne said: "Police officers hold a unique position of trust in the eyes of the public and it is disgraceful that Pc Formby abused that trust in this case.
"He should have been supporting a woman who was vulnerable and scared but instead he exploited the situation and his behaviour was completely inappropriate."
A Met Police spokesman said Pc Formby has been suspended pending disciplinary hearings, which will take place after sentencing.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Officer Hamlett Almendarez in Trouble for Having Sex While on Duty
Boys, keep your thingy in your pants until you get home. Or try whacking off before you cum to work. Damn! Such a dumb thing to lose your job over.
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Another officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is in trouble for allegedly committing a sex act while on the job.
Hamlett Almendarez is the second CMPD officer assigned to the Eastway Division within a matter of weeks to lose his job over an alleged sex act.
Several police sources say Almendarez was working on Saturday at 3 a.m. when he took a break at the Fuel Pizza restaurant located on Central Avenue.
According to the CMPD, witnesses reported that Almendarez followed a woman out of the restroom after they allegedly engaged in a sexual act.
A witness called 311 and told a CMPD Sergeant about the alleged incident. The police department was able to pinpoint Almendarez to the accusation by using the GPS locator on his police car. Almendarez reportedly later resigned from the police department.
Almendarez is not charged with a crime. However, his former Eastway Division co-worker, Marcus Jackson, does face several sex assault charges. Jackson was fired after several women say he pulled them over and sexually assaulted them.
CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe says Jackson should have never been hired, but the department failed to do a proper background check.
News of the latest incident has made some East Charlotte residents nervous.
"Especially being a female, if I'm driving by myself, and getting pulled over or something like that," said Makeda Johnson. "It's something to worry about, it really is."
But folks we talked to also said it's important not to judge all police by the allegations against these two officers.
"It's not a reflection on all of them, because some of them out here really do a good job," said Twana Wortham.
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Another officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is in trouble for allegedly committing a sex act while on the job.
Hamlett Almendarez is the second CMPD officer assigned to the Eastway Division within a matter of weeks to lose his job over an alleged sex act.
Several police sources say Almendarez was working on Saturday at 3 a.m. when he took a break at the Fuel Pizza restaurant located on Central Avenue.
According to the CMPD, witnesses reported that Almendarez followed a woman out of the restroom after they allegedly engaged in a sexual act.
A witness called 311 and told a CMPD Sergeant about the alleged incident. The police department was able to pinpoint Almendarez to the accusation by using the GPS locator on his police car. Almendarez reportedly later resigned from the police department.
Almendarez is not charged with a crime. However, his former Eastway Division co-worker, Marcus Jackson, does face several sex assault charges. Jackson was fired after several women say he pulled them over and sexually assaulted them.
CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe says Jackson should have never been hired, but the department failed to do a proper background check.
News of the latest incident has made some East Charlotte residents nervous.
"Especially being a female, if I'm driving by myself, and getting pulled over or something like that," said Makeda Johnson. "It's something to worry about, it really is."
But folks we talked to also said it's important not to judge all police by the allegations against these two officers.
"It's not a reflection on all of them, because some of them out here really do a good job," said Twana Wortham.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Former Officer David Reveille Sentenced to 2 Years for Forcing Prostitute to Have Sex While on Duty
Former Gainesville police officer David Reveille was sentenced Friday to two years in prison on charges related to sexual activity with prostitutes while he was on duty.
The sentence by Circuit Judge Ysleta McDonald follows the terms of an agreement in which Reveille pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault with intent to commit the felony of sexual battery, one count of false imprisonment, one count of official misconduct and two counts of battery.
Reveille was arrested last year on charges that included multiple counts of sexual battery.
Credit for 324 days Reveille has served in the Alachua County jail will reduce his time in prison.
"No one is above the law," Police Chief Tony Jones said of the sentencing when contacted by The Sun. "He went through the system and got his just desserts for his action."
Also, Reveille will serve 13 years' probation and will be prohibited from going into areas known for prostitution and from having pornographic material. He also must undergo a mental health/sexual deviance risk assessment.
Reveille, who has lost considerable weight since he was fired from GPD in late 2008, said nothing at the sentencing.
His wife, Sandi, said afterward, "It will be all right in the end."
GPD fired Reveille after an internal investigation concluded that he "used his official position as a law enforcement officer to obtain sexual favors."
One case involved a woman who police said Reveille handcuffed, took to a marked patrol car and threatened with arrest if she didn't perform a sex act.
Reveille was charged with eight counts of sexual battery, one count of false imprisonment, one count of official misconduct and two counts of battery.
Spencer Mann, spokesman for the State Attorney's Office, said the plea agreement meets the goals of having Reveille serve prison time and the loss of his career. Mann added it also saves the victims from having to testify.
"It accomplishes multiple things for us," Mann said. "He is going to get some prison time and long-term probation with sex offender sanctions. He loses his law enforcement certification."
Reveille's attorney, Gloria Fletcher, said afterward she believes the sentence was a good resolution to a difficult case.
"Law enforcement is no different than news reporters, lawyers, doctors - we all make mistakes and we all make choices that we'd like to redo. I'm not suggesting that he made a mistake. I am suggesting that he would choose not to be in this situation," Fletcher said.
Reveille recently suffered facial injuries in a scuffle with another inmate at the Alachua County jail. Fletcher expressed concern to McDonald over whether his treatment for those injuries had progressed enough to make it safe to turn him over to the state Department of Corrections.
A doctor on the case was summoned to court and after talking with her, McDonald said she felt comfortable proceeding with the sentencing.
Reveille's case was one of several involving city police officers in the past few years that created image problems for the agency and were termed an embarrassment by former Chief Norman Botsford.
Ex-Cpl. Bill Billings pleaded no contest to felony charges of scheme to defraud and official misconduct in June. He later admitted in court that he paid women for sex while on duty.
Meanwhile, two GPD officers admitted to the off-duty harassment of prostitutes in certain neighborhoods, including throwing eggs at them.
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Other Information
The sentence by Circuit Judge Ysleta McDonald follows the terms of an agreement in which Reveille pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault with intent to commit the felony of sexual battery, one count of false imprisonment, one count of official misconduct and two counts of battery.
Reveille was arrested last year on charges that included multiple counts of sexual battery.
Credit for 324 days Reveille has served in the Alachua County jail will reduce his time in prison.
"No one is above the law," Police Chief Tony Jones said of the sentencing when contacted by The Sun. "He went through the system and got his just desserts for his action."
Also, Reveille will serve 13 years' probation and will be prohibited from going into areas known for prostitution and from having pornographic material. He also must undergo a mental health/sexual deviance risk assessment.
Reveille, who has lost considerable weight since he was fired from GPD in late 2008, said nothing at the sentencing.
His wife, Sandi, said afterward, "It will be all right in the end."
GPD fired Reveille after an internal investigation concluded that he "used his official position as a law enforcement officer to obtain sexual favors."
One case involved a woman who police said Reveille handcuffed, took to a marked patrol car and threatened with arrest if she didn't perform a sex act.
Reveille was charged with eight counts of sexual battery, one count of false imprisonment, one count of official misconduct and two counts of battery.
Spencer Mann, spokesman for the State Attorney's Office, said the plea agreement meets the goals of having Reveille serve prison time and the loss of his career. Mann added it also saves the victims from having to testify.
"It accomplishes multiple things for us," Mann said. "He is going to get some prison time and long-term probation with sex offender sanctions. He loses his law enforcement certification."
Reveille's attorney, Gloria Fletcher, said afterward she believes the sentence was a good resolution to a difficult case.
"Law enforcement is no different than news reporters, lawyers, doctors - we all make mistakes and we all make choices that we'd like to redo. I'm not suggesting that he made a mistake. I am suggesting that he would choose not to be in this situation," Fletcher said.
Reveille recently suffered facial injuries in a scuffle with another inmate at the Alachua County jail. Fletcher expressed concern to McDonald over whether his treatment for those injuries had progressed enough to make it safe to turn him over to the state Department of Corrections.
A doctor on the case was summoned to court and after talking with her, McDonald said she felt comfortable proceeding with the sentencing.
Reveille's case was one of several involving city police officers in the past few years that created image problems for the agency and were termed an embarrassment by former Chief Norman Botsford.
Ex-Cpl. Bill Billings pleaded no contest to felony charges of scheme to defraud and official misconduct in June. He later admitted in court that he paid women for sex while on duty.
Meanwhile, two GPD officers admitted to the off-duty harassment of prostitutes in certain neighborhoods, including throwing eggs at them.
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Other Information
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Officer Keith Ashley Accused of Faking Burglary Report
A Dallas police officer is under criminal investigation after being accused of faking a burglary report to hide the fact that he was elsewhere, allegedly having sex with a woman in his patrol car, police said.
Officer Keith Ashley, who joined the department in 2001, has been placed on restricted duty. He declined to comment Tuesday.
"We do have it in public integrity," said Assistant Chief Ron Waldrop, who oversees the investigations bureau. He said he could not comment further because the investigation was under way.
Ashley came under scrutiny after a Nov. 24 incident in which teachers at the Lighthouse Christian Academy on West Illinois Avenue in west Oak Cliff reported that they had seen him engaged in sexual acts in the back of his squad car while it was parked in a school parking lot.
At the same time, he was supposed to be on a burglary call at an apartment complex on Preakness Lane. Ashley wrote in a report that he was flagged down by an apartment complex employee, who told him that a former employee was trying to break into an apartment.
Police investigators are looking into whether Ashley concocted the entire police report. He had worked off-duty security at the complex.
The woman whom Ashley reported as the apartment complex employee in the police report told WFAA-TV that she no longer worked at the complex and that she had spoken to an investigator.
Angela Russell, one of the teachers, told WFAA that she looked out the window of the school and saw a squad car with the back driver's side door open.
"I saw a leg hanging out of the door, and me and another teacher observed a police officer in the vehicle, and when we looked closer we realized they were engaging in improper conduct," she said.
She said the children saw what was going on, too. She approached the officer as the woman was leaving.
"I asked him, 'What's going on here? Do you know there are children in this building and this is a school and there are children here?' " she said. "Oh, and he gave us a story as to why it was going on, and then he left, and I immediately called and complained about it."
Ashley told commanders that the woman in the car with him was his wife and that they were having marital problems and he was consoling her.
Russell, who said she spoke with two police investigators last week, said she was infuriated and unsettled by the incident.
"Our children want to be police officers," she said. "We have a wall inside our school that if your father or mother or anybody in your family that's a police officer are put up on this wall, we say a prayer for you."
Ashley was previously in the news after he lost control of his squad car and struck a fence in May 2008. An iron rod from the fence broke the windshield and struck his chest.
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Previous Post
Officer Keith Ashley, who joined the department in 2001, has been placed on restricted duty. He declined to comment Tuesday.
"We do have it in public integrity," said Assistant Chief Ron Waldrop, who oversees the investigations bureau. He said he could not comment further because the investigation was under way.
Ashley came under scrutiny after a Nov. 24 incident in which teachers at the Lighthouse Christian Academy on West Illinois Avenue in west Oak Cliff reported that they had seen him engaged in sexual acts in the back of his squad car while it was parked in a school parking lot.
At the same time, he was supposed to be on a burglary call at an apartment complex on Preakness Lane. Ashley wrote in a report that he was flagged down by an apartment complex employee, who told him that a former employee was trying to break into an apartment.
Police investigators are looking into whether Ashley concocted the entire police report. He had worked off-duty security at the complex.
The woman whom Ashley reported as the apartment complex employee in the police report told WFAA-TV that she no longer worked at the complex and that she had spoken to an investigator.
Angela Russell, one of the teachers, told WFAA that she looked out the window of the school and saw a squad car with the back driver's side door open.
"I saw a leg hanging out of the door, and me and another teacher observed a police officer in the vehicle, and when we looked closer we realized they were engaging in improper conduct," she said.
She said the children saw what was going on, too. She approached the officer as the woman was leaving.
"I asked him, 'What's going on here? Do you know there are children in this building and this is a school and there are children here?' " she said. "Oh, and he gave us a story as to why it was going on, and then he left, and I immediately called and complained about it."
Ashley told commanders that the woman in the car with him was his wife and that they were having marital problems and he was consoling her.
Russell, who said she spoke with two police investigators last week, said she was infuriated and unsettled by the incident.
"Our children want to be police officers," she said. "We have a wall inside our school that if your father or mother or anybody in your family that's a police officer are put up on this wall, we say a prayer for you."
Ashley was previously in the news after he lost control of his squad car and struck a fence in May 2008. An iron rod from the fence broke the windshield and struck his chest.
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Previous Post
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Two Teachers Catch Officer Keith Ashley Getting Naughty
Two teachers caught an officer in the midst of what appeared to be a sexual encounter after spotting a leg hanging outside the door of the officer's patrol car on November 24 near the Lighthouse Christian School.
With children just feet away, Angela Russell said the leg caught her eye.
"I saw a leg hanging out of the door, and me and another teacher observed a police officer in the vehicle and when we looked closer we realized they were engaging in improper conduct," she said.
The officer was in a marked police unit and was with a woman in the back seat.
"The children had to leave," Russell said.
Patrolman Keith Ashley is now being investigated as the officer involved. While Ashley wouldn't comment on the allegation, Dallas police confirm he has been taken off the street.
"He's on restricted duty," said Warren Mitchell, Dallas Police Department.
Mitchell confirmed they are "looking at" Ashley.
Two Dallas police sources said Ashley was investigating a burglary at the time of the incident. If so, it would give him an alibi at an apartment near the school. The report said a burglary victim flagged Ashley down in broad daylight to report a break-in, but that crime happened two weeks earlier.
A resident at the apartment complex said that while burglaries have occurred there, they were not at apartment 203, which was the site listed on the report.
"I was so infuriated," Russell said. "Just thinking about it again, it just infuriates me ... because every time you see one you're saying is this officer on his way to see somebody or is this officer doing his job. What is this officer doing?"
In fact, News 8 has learned the Dallas Police Department have been asking the same question. A satellite tracking system allows them to determine the whereabouts of Dallas police cars. They are using those records to determine if Ashley's car was where it was supposed to be on more than one occasion.
The internal affairs department is conducting both an administrative and criminal investigation of Ashley.
With children just feet away, Angela Russell said the leg caught her eye.
"I saw a leg hanging out of the door, and me and another teacher observed a police officer in the vehicle and when we looked closer we realized they were engaging in improper conduct," she said.
The officer was in a marked police unit and was with a woman in the back seat.
"The children had to leave," Russell said.
Patrolman Keith Ashley is now being investigated as the officer involved. While Ashley wouldn't comment on the allegation, Dallas police confirm he has been taken off the street.
"He's on restricted duty," said Warren Mitchell, Dallas Police Department.
Mitchell confirmed they are "looking at" Ashley.
Two Dallas police sources said Ashley was investigating a burglary at the time of the incident. If so, it would give him an alibi at an apartment near the school. The report said a burglary victim flagged Ashley down in broad daylight to report a break-in, but that crime happened two weeks earlier.
A resident at the apartment complex said that while burglaries have occurred there, they were not at apartment 203, which was the site listed on the report.
"I was so infuriated," Russell said. "Just thinking about it again, it just infuriates me ... because every time you see one you're saying is this officer on his way to see somebody or is this officer doing his job. What is this officer doing?"
In fact, News 8 has learned the Dallas Police Department have been asking the same question. A satellite tracking system allows them to determine the whereabouts of Dallas police cars. They are using those records to determine if Ashley's car was where it was supposed to be on more than one occasion.
The internal affairs department is conducting both an administrative and criminal investigation of Ashley.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Former Officer James Oakley Accused of Fondling Woman's Breast
The investigation continues into a former Providence, Kentucky police officer accused of serious on-the-job misconduct.
James Oakley is accused of fondling a woman's breast and having oral sex with her while he was on-duty.
He appeared before a judge in Webster County earlier in the week on a first degree official misconduct charge.
Now Kentucky State Police are determining whether to press additional charges against the ex-cop.
His next court appearance is scheduled for late September.
James Oakley is accused of fondling a woman's breast and having oral sex with her while he was on-duty.
He appeared before a judge in Webster County earlier in the week on a first degree official misconduct charge.
Now Kentucky State Police are determining whether to press additional charges against the ex-cop.
His next court appearance is scheduled for late September.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Officer Anthony Rollins Arrested for Sexually Aaaaulting Woman While on Duty
A decorated Anchorage police officer has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple women while he was on duty.
Anthony Rollins, a 13-year veteran and former department spokesman, was indicted by a grand jury and arrested Wednesday. He's being held on a $100,000 bond.
"Let me stress that Rollins' alleged actions are aberrant and detestable," Police Chief Rob Heun said at a press conference. "Officers are compelled to function independently within the confines of the laws they are sworn to uphold and have the authority to enforce. They are and should be trusted to protect life, to protect property and maintain order."
Rollin, 41, is charged with four counts of first-degree sexual assault, six counts of second-degree sexual assault, four counts of criminal use of a computer and six counts of official misconduct.
A local group that supports victims of sexual assault — Standing Together Against Rape — brought one woman's allegations to the police department's attention in April.
Authorities said that police, with assistance from the FBI, then began investigation Rollins' past contact with women, and found five more alleged victims as far back as March 2006. Heun would not elaborate on how Rollins met the women, saying only that Rollins encountered them during field interviews.
Details of the assaults were sketchy in the indictment documents. Police and prosecutors also gave few details, saying the investigation is ongoing.
Rollins, who is married, has been honored by police several times. Last year, he received the department's Medal of Valor for rescuing a man from a burning building. In 2004, he received the department's Meritorious Conduct award for his role in an anti-bullying program in local schools.
Nancy Haag, executive director of Standing Together Against Rape, said the group does not comment on specific individuals or cases.
"Any sexual assault is traumatic and I'm sure an authority figure only compounds that trauma, fear and hopelessness," she said. "In general the issues that need to be recognized here is those who perpetrate these crimes need to be held accountable and the survivors need deserve to be heard, believed and offered support."
Rollins is set for a court appearance on Friday.
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http://www.ktva.com/ci_12845450
Anthony Rollins, a 13-year veteran and former department spokesman, was indicted by a grand jury and arrested Wednesday. He's being held on a $100,000 bond.
"Let me stress that Rollins' alleged actions are aberrant and detestable," Police Chief Rob Heun said at a press conference. "Officers are compelled to function independently within the confines of the laws they are sworn to uphold and have the authority to enforce. They are and should be trusted to protect life, to protect property and maintain order."
Rollin, 41, is charged with four counts of first-degree sexual assault, six counts of second-degree sexual assault, four counts of criminal use of a computer and six counts of official misconduct.
A local group that supports victims of sexual assault — Standing Together Against Rape — brought one woman's allegations to the police department's attention in April.
Authorities said that police, with assistance from the FBI, then began investigation Rollins' past contact with women, and found five more alleged victims as far back as March 2006. Heun would not elaborate on how Rollins met the women, saying only that Rollins encountered them during field interviews.
Details of the assaults were sketchy in the indictment documents. Police and prosecutors also gave few details, saying the investigation is ongoing.
Rollins, who is married, has been honored by police several times. Last year, he received the department's Medal of Valor for rescuing a man from a burning building. In 2004, he received the department's Meritorious Conduct award for his role in an anti-bullying program in local schools.
Nancy Haag, executive director of Standing Together Against Rape, said the group does not comment on specific individuals or cases.
"Any sexual assault is traumatic and I'm sure an authority figure only compounds that trauma, fear and hopelessness," she said. "In general the issues that need to be recognized here is those who perpetrate these crimes need to be held accountable and the survivors need deserve to be heard, believed and offered support."
Rollins is set for a court appearance on Friday.
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http://www.ktva.com/ci_12845450
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Several DeKalb Officers Accused of Having Sex While on Duty
Several DeKalb County police officers are under invesatigation, after being accused of having sex while on duty.
A source close to the investigation gave CBS Atlanta a videotape which showed a police officer meeting up with a woman miles outside his jurisdiction.
The tape, which was shot by a private investigator, shows an officer pulling into an RV park in Gwinnett County.
According to sources, the sergeant seen on the video was on duty. The sergeant goes inside the trailer with a woman. The two are inside for 2 and half hours. The officer then comes out of the trailer, kisses the woman goodbye and drives off.
On Wednesday, Police Chief Bill O’Brien and Public Safety Director Wiz Miller confirmed the investigations. But they said, at this point, they aren't sure if the incident on the video happened while the officer on the clock.
“One thing we do have to keep in mind is that we do have some police officers that are assigned take home vehicles. So, we don’t know if it was an on-duty or off-duty incident,” O’Brien said.
Several hours later, the sergeant and the woman were seen meeting up again at the sergeant's house.
The incident is one of two involving police officers in the last six months.
The second incident involves several officers at the south precinct.
An on-duty officer was accused of driving to an off-duty officer's house to have sex. According to our source, the officer made a cadet wait outside in the patrol car.
“The first thing you have to do is to reaffirm in their minds that they ave to be held to a higher standard,” Miller said.
The accused officers are still on the street until the investigations are complete, officials said.
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Information & Video: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/19649667/detail.html
A source close to the investigation gave CBS Atlanta a videotape which showed a police officer meeting up with a woman miles outside his jurisdiction.
The tape, which was shot by a private investigator, shows an officer pulling into an RV park in Gwinnett County.
According to sources, the sergeant seen on the video was on duty. The sergeant goes inside the trailer with a woman. The two are inside for 2 and half hours. The officer then comes out of the trailer, kisses the woman goodbye and drives off.
On Wednesday, Police Chief Bill O’Brien and Public Safety Director Wiz Miller confirmed the investigations. But they said, at this point, they aren't sure if the incident on the video happened while the officer on the clock.
“One thing we do have to keep in mind is that we do have some police officers that are assigned take home vehicles. So, we don’t know if it was an on-duty or off-duty incident,” O’Brien said.
Several hours later, the sergeant and the woman were seen meeting up again at the sergeant's house.
The incident is one of two involving police officers in the last six months.
The second incident involves several officers at the south precinct.
An on-duty officer was accused of driving to an off-duty officer's house to have sex. According to our source, the officer made a cadet wait outside in the patrol car.
“The first thing you have to do is to reaffirm in their minds that they ave to be held to a higher standard,” Miller said.
The accused officers are still on the street until the investigations are complete, officials said.
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Information & Video: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/19649667/detail.html
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Cpl Joshua Giddings Committs Suicide After Arrest
Delaware State Police Cpl. Joshua A. Giddings, 32, apparently committed suicide at his Smyrna home Tuesday, May 26. Giddings was arrested May 11 after an investigation revealed he engaged in sexual relations with a woman he had arrested in exchange for not taking her to court.
Delaware State Police reported that emergency personnel were dispatched at about 6 p.m., to a home in the unit block of Wheeler Circle in Smyrna after receiving a report of an unresponsive man.
The man was found in the shed at the residence. He was unresponsive. Emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
He was identified as Joshua A. Giddings.
Foul play is not suspected, police said. The incident is a suspected suicide, but the investigation is continuing by the Smyrna Police Department.
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Previous Story: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/05/cpl-joshua-giddings-arrested-for-sexual.html
Delaware State Police reported that emergency personnel were dispatched at about 6 p.m., to a home in the unit block of Wheeler Circle in Smyrna after receiving a report of an unresponsive man.
The man was found in the shed at the residence. He was unresponsive. Emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
He was identified as Joshua A. Giddings.
Foul play is not suspected, police said. The incident is a suspected suicide, but the investigation is continuing by the Smyrna Police Department.
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Previous Story: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/05/cpl-joshua-giddings-arrested-for-sexual.html
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Sgt Mark Fitzpatrick Arraigned on Sexual Assault Charge
LOS ANGELES
A Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant has been arraigned on charges of sexually assaulting a woman and inappropriately searching two others in separate incidents while on duty.
Mark Fitzpatrick pleaded not guilty to four felony counts and one misdemeanor Friday in Superior Court.
Prosecutors say Fitzpatrick threatened one woman with arrest or deportation while he sexually assaulted her during a traffic stop.
Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore says investigators began a criminal investigation immediately after getting a report of the alleged misconduct last year.
Whitmore says Fitzpatrick was assigned to a desk job at the Compton station then was suspended without pay after the charges were filed.
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More information: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sheriff23-2009may23,0,3979260.story
A Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant has been arraigned on charges of sexually assaulting a woman and inappropriately searching two others in separate incidents while on duty.
Mark Fitzpatrick pleaded not guilty to four felony counts and one misdemeanor Friday in Superior Court.
Prosecutors say Fitzpatrick threatened one woman with arrest or deportation while he sexually assaulted her during a traffic stop.
Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore says investigators began a criminal investigation immediately after getting a report of the alleged misconduct last year.
Whitmore says Fitzpatrick was assigned to a desk job at the Compton station then was suspended without pay after the charges were filed.
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More information: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sheriff23-2009may23,0,3979260.story
Monday, May 11, 2009
Cpl. Joshua Giddings Arrested for Sexual Extortion
The Delaware State Police arrested a seven-year veteran patrol trooper for Sexual Extortion, Receiving a Bribe and Official Misconduct after an investigation revealed he engaged in a sex act with a 39-year-old New Castle woman.
This arrest culminates an investigation by DSP of alleged misconduct brought to the attention of the State Police by a woman arrested by Cpl. Joshua A. Giddings, 32, who was assigned to Troop 9 in Odessa.
The woman alleged that she and Giddings engaged in a sexual act while he was acting in his official capacity as a trooper. Information was provided and the investigation later substantiated that on Thursday, March 19 at approximately 8:06 pm, Giddings was working in a patrol capacity when he was dispatched to JC Penney's at the Christiana Mall for a report of a female shoplifter in custody. The investigation determined that Giddings arrested the woman for a single count of Shoplifting and for capias charges from a local court related to traffic offenses. Following the arrest, the woman and Giddings agreed that if the woman performed a sexual favor that Giddings would not take her forthwith to court to face the shoplifting charges and capiases. Instead, he issued her a criminal summons to appear at a later date in court.
With the woman under arrest and detained in the police vehicle, Giddings drove to a nearby, secluded area and engaged in a sexual act with her. He then drove her home.
Once DSP was notified of this allegation, an investigation was immediately launched and Giddings was suspended with pay and benefits. During the investigation, detectives secured a clothing item belonging to the victim. Consequently, detectives later obtained a search warrant to obtain DNA from Giddings.
The physical evidence obtained by detectives from the victim’s clothing and the DNA sample obtained from Giddings were sent to the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) for comparison. The two samples matched the DNA profile of Mr. Giddings and supported the allegation.
Arrest warrants were obtained and today, Giddings was informed of the arrest warrant and voluntarily turned himself in to investigators at Troop 2 in Glasgow. He was formally charged and upon arraignment, was issued an $8,000.00 unsecured bond.
Because of the arrest, Colonel Thomas F. Mac Leish has placed Giddings on suspension without pay and benefits with the intent to dismiss him from the division.
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http://www.wmdt.com/topstory/displaystory.asp?id=12981
Officer Christopher Rojas Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Christopher Rojas admits to one vice that may have cost him his job in law enforcement: "Women."
After 15 months on paid administrative leave, the veteran Sunrise police officer was fired Jan. 28 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, as revealed in documents recently obtained by the Sun Sentinel.
Rojas, 39, who is married with children, denies the allegations and is trying to get his $75,300-a-year job back through arbitration. He declined to comment through his union representative.
An internal investigation by the Sunrise Police Department found Rojas used his authority as an officer to romance and prey on women he met on the job. The 12-year veteran had consensual sex on duty with one woman over the course of two years, police say, while in another case, a burglary victim accused Rojas of forcing her to kiss him at least twice.
"In both cases, Officer Rojas was found to have used his position as a police officer to obtain or try to obtain sexual favors, or otherwise take advantage of these women who were in need of police assistance," Capt. Robert Voss wrote in his Jan. 28 report to the chief.
In the case of the burglary victim, police records state Rojas returned to the young woman's home the day after the burglary and threatened to kick in or shoot down her door if she didn't let him in.
According to Lt. William Glennon, who handled the 615-page internal investigation, Rojas violated 20 departmental policies, including conduct unbecoming an officer, making false statements and failing to document a burglary.
Police Chief John Brooks has recommended the Florida Department of Law Enforcement permanently revoke Rojas' police certification. The agency is reviewing the case.
John Puleo, union representative for Rojas, denied the burglary victim's allegation that Rojas kissed her. In May 2008, the Broward State Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges in that incident, saying their investigators had not been able to track down Rojas' accuser.
Puleo and Anthony Livoti, Rojas' attorney, both accuse Sunrise of failing to conduct a thorough investigation. They said Rojas was off duty during the trysts and only wore his uniform to fool his wife into thinking he was at work.
"The bottom line: [The sex] wasn't on duty," Puleo said.
But the woman Rojas was seeing told investigators the couple had sex countless times while he was on duty. She made the allegations on June 3, 2008, after the relationship soured.
According to her testimony, she met Rojas in 2004 when she was having an argument with her then-husband and called police. Rojas responded.
Both parties agree their friendship turned sexual. She told investigators they only had sex when he was on duty "because he had a wife" and wanted their affair kept secret.
When Glennon asked Rojas if he had sex on duty, Rojas answered: "Not that I'm aware of" and "I can't remember."
Rojas told Glennon he may have taken vacation time in the middle of his shift to have sex. But Glennon said a review of attendance records shows Rojas never did so.
Rojas said he may have had sex on his lunch break. Police officers are still on duty and paid during breaks, Glennon said.
The woman said Rojas came to her house up to three times a week during his 7:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. work shift, staying from 10 minutes to an hour. Neighbors interviewed by Glennon confirmed her story.
Glennon tape-recorded conversations between the woman and Rojas to determine the validity of her claims.
In one conversation, Rojas told her: "The one vice I have in life ... I like women, and you know I like women, OK. That is my vice in life."
In the second case, a woman claimed Rojas kissed her against her will and failed to take a police report after her apartment was burglarized.
Later, she told Glennon why she didn't fight him off: "I thought he was going to hurt me if I didn't" go along with his advances.
According to police, Rojas first met the woman on Oct. 9, 2007, when she reported a suspicious person at her apartment complex. Rojas gave her his business card and cell number. A week later, on Oct. 17, she called Rojas about the burglary.
The woman said Rojas showed up, insisted on talking in her bedroom, kissed her against her will and told her she was going to give him a key after she got the locks fixed. Hours later, the woman left messages for Rojas asking why he hadn't taken a report.
In the meantime, she told her boyfriend, who called police to file a complaint.
On Oct. 18, Rojas showed up at the woman's apartment and knocked on the door. Terrified, she slammed it in his face.
"He began kicking the door, yelling obscenities and threatening to shoot the door" then went around back and forced open the sliding glass doors, according to police.
The woman's boyfriend called 911. Soon Sunrise police swarmed the area.
The next day, Rojas was placed on paid administrative leave.
After 15 months on paid administrative leave, the veteran Sunrise police officer was fired Jan. 28 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, as revealed in documents recently obtained by the Sun Sentinel.
Rojas, 39, who is married with children, denies the allegations and is trying to get his $75,300-a-year job back through arbitration. He declined to comment through his union representative.
An internal investigation by the Sunrise Police Department found Rojas used his authority as an officer to romance and prey on women he met on the job. The 12-year veteran had consensual sex on duty with one woman over the course of two years, police say, while in another case, a burglary victim accused Rojas of forcing her to kiss him at least twice.
"In both cases, Officer Rojas was found to have used his position as a police officer to obtain or try to obtain sexual favors, or otherwise take advantage of these women who were in need of police assistance," Capt. Robert Voss wrote in his Jan. 28 report to the chief.
In the case of the burglary victim, police records state Rojas returned to the young woman's home the day after the burglary and threatened to kick in or shoot down her door if she didn't let him in.
According to Lt. William Glennon, who handled the 615-page internal investigation, Rojas violated 20 departmental policies, including conduct unbecoming an officer, making false statements and failing to document a burglary.
Police Chief John Brooks has recommended the Florida Department of Law Enforcement permanently revoke Rojas' police certification. The agency is reviewing the case.
John Puleo, union representative for Rojas, denied the burglary victim's allegation that Rojas kissed her. In May 2008, the Broward State Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges in that incident, saying their investigators had not been able to track down Rojas' accuser.
Puleo and Anthony Livoti, Rojas' attorney, both accuse Sunrise of failing to conduct a thorough investigation. They said Rojas was off duty during the trysts and only wore his uniform to fool his wife into thinking he was at work.
"The bottom line: [The sex] wasn't on duty," Puleo said.
But the woman Rojas was seeing told investigators the couple had sex countless times while he was on duty. She made the allegations on June 3, 2008, after the relationship soured.
According to her testimony, she met Rojas in 2004 when she was having an argument with her then-husband and called police. Rojas responded.
Both parties agree their friendship turned sexual. She told investigators they only had sex when he was on duty "because he had a wife" and wanted their affair kept secret.
When Glennon asked Rojas if he had sex on duty, Rojas answered: "Not that I'm aware of" and "I can't remember."
Rojas told Glennon he may have taken vacation time in the middle of his shift to have sex. But Glennon said a review of attendance records shows Rojas never did so.
Rojas said he may have had sex on his lunch break. Police officers are still on duty and paid during breaks, Glennon said.
The woman said Rojas came to her house up to three times a week during his 7:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. work shift, staying from 10 minutes to an hour. Neighbors interviewed by Glennon confirmed her story.
Glennon tape-recorded conversations between the woman and Rojas to determine the validity of her claims.
In one conversation, Rojas told her: "The one vice I have in life ... I like women, and you know I like women, OK. That is my vice in life."
In the second case, a woman claimed Rojas kissed her against her will and failed to take a police report after her apartment was burglarized.
Later, she told Glennon why she didn't fight him off: "I thought he was going to hurt me if I didn't" go along with his advances.
According to police, Rojas first met the woman on Oct. 9, 2007, when she reported a suspicious person at her apartment complex. Rojas gave her his business card and cell number. A week later, on Oct. 17, she called Rojas about the burglary.
The woman said Rojas showed up, insisted on talking in her bedroom, kissed her against her will and told her she was going to give him a key after she got the locks fixed. Hours later, the woman left messages for Rojas asking why he hadn't taken a report.
In the meantime, she told her boyfriend, who called police to file a complaint.
On Oct. 18, Rojas showed up at the woman's apartment and knocked on the door. Terrified, she slammed it in his face.
"He began kicking the door, yelling obscenities and threatening to shoot the door" then went around back and forced open the sliding glass doors, according to police.
The woman's boyfriend called 911. Soon Sunrise police swarmed the area.
The next day, Rojas was placed on paid administrative leave.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Fomre Deputy Thomas Taylor III Accused of Having On-Duty Sex May Lose Peace Officer's Certificate
A former Pima County sheriff's deputy accused of having on-duty sex with a fellow deputy's wife could find himself unable to work as a law officer in Arizona.
Thomas E. Taylor III resigned his deputy's job Jan. 20, and the Arizona Peace Officer's Standards and Training Board voted this week to review the case and determine whether Taylor should keep his peace officer's certificate, or have it suspended or revoked.
Without the certificate issued by the board, also known as Az POST, a person cannot work as a law enforcement officer in the state.
According to a report from Az POST, Taylor, 28, who started as a deputy May 11, 2007, scheduled a rendezvous with the other man's wife for Jan. 12 at a secluded spot east of the city in the Rincon Patrol District, where Taylor was assigned patrol duties.
The couple met about 3 a.m., with Taylor in uniform and driving a marked patrol car, the report said. Taylor directed the woman to a secluded parking area where they kissed, fondled and engaged in oral sex, the report said.
The woman, not identified in the report, also is a Sheriff's Department employee, but she was off duty and in her own car.
The alleged incident came to official attention after the woman, feeling "very guilty" about the matter, told her husband that night. Two days later, the husband sent a memorandum through the chain of command to the Internal Affairs Section.
The woman's husband also called Taylor, confronting him about the affair and Taylor admitted to it and "apologized to him for what he had done," according to the board.
Taylor was interviewed by an internal affairs detective Jan. 14 and his account of what happened "mirrored" the woman's account, except for the specific sex act in which they had engaged, the board said.
The internal affairs detective told an Az POST staff member that there was no evidence Taylor missed calls to duty while with the woman, the report said.
The woman involved is a civilian employee assigned to duties at the Pima County Jail, said Bureau Chief Richard Kastigar, in charge of uniformed patrol operations.
Kastigar said she violated no departmental rules as she was off duty when she met with Taylor and she is not facing discipline.
Taylor is not eligible for being rehired by the department, Kastigar said.
Thomas E. Taylor III resigned his deputy's job Jan. 20, and the Arizona Peace Officer's Standards and Training Board voted this week to review the case and determine whether Taylor should keep his peace officer's certificate, or have it suspended or revoked.
Without the certificate issued by the board, also known as Az POST, a person cannot work as a law enforcement officer in the state.
According to a report from Az POST, Taylor, 28, who started as a deputy May 11, 2007, scheduled a rendezvous with the other man's wife for Jan. 12 at a secluded spot east of the city in the Rincon Patrol District, where Taylor was assigned patrol duties.
The couple met about 3 a.m., with Taylor in uniform and driving a marked patrol car, the report said. Taylor directed the woman to a secluded parking area where they kissed, fondled and engaged in oral sex, the report said.
The woman, not identified in the report, also is a Sheriff's Department employee, but she was off duty and in her own car.
The alleged incident came to official attention after the woman, feeling "very guilty" about the matter, told her husband that night. Two days later, the husband sent a memorandum through the chain of command to the Internal Affairs Section.
The woman's husband also called Taylor, confronting him about the affair and Taylor admitted to it and "apologized to him for what he had done," according to the board.
Taylor was interviewed by an internal affairs detective Jan. 14 and his account of what happened "mirrored" the woman's account, except for the specific sex act in which they had engaged, the board said.
The internal affairs detective told an Az POST staff member that there was no evidence Taylor missed calls to duty while with the woman, the report said.
The woman involved is a civilian employee assigned to duties at the Pima County Jail, said Bureau Chief Richard Kastigar, in charge of uniformed patrol operations.
Kastigar said she violated no departmental rules as she was off duty when she met with Taylor and she is not facing discipline.
Taylor is not eligible for being rehired by the department, Kastigar said.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Cpl Anthony Williams Has History of Complaints
DALLAS
Last month a 20-year Dallas police veteran was fired for failing to respond to an emergency call — but it is not the first time he has been fired or accused of wrongdoing, and some wonder if he will be reinstated again.
Law enforcement experts see Senior Cpl. Anthony Williams' career as a prime example of a recurring dilemma in police departments: how to rid a city of an officer whose record is riddled with serious misconduct allegations when his guilt can't be proven or he keeps getting his job back.
Experts cite lack of evidence, questionable witnesses and sloppy investigations as key hurdles to keeping problematic officers off the streets, The Dallas Morning News reported in Sunday editions. And the situation is made worse by an appeals system that has overturned many firings. Since David Kunkle became Dallas police chief nearly five years ago, 12 of his 62 firings have been reversed.
Keeping an officer on the job after he has been repeatedly investigated has its own risks.
"You are opening yourself up to huge lawsuits and one of the charges will be negligent retention, which means that you knew you shouldn't keep this person as a police officer but you did it anyway," Penny Harrington, an expert on police employee misconduct and former chief of the Portland Police Department in Oregon, told the newspaper.
Williams declined to comment. His attorney Phil Burleson Jr. said Williams is innocent of the allegation that led to his recent firing. He said the firing was "not justified."
Of the sexual misconduct complaints during Williams' career, Burleson said, "He says they've all been fully investigated and found that he didn't commit those allegations."
Among the complaints:
_ A woman in 1992 said that after Williams went to her home on a harassment call, he fondled her as her 6-year-old son watched. She said he flattered her, and they began a brief sexual relationship.
_ A woman said Williams began a sexual relationship with her 16-year-old granddaughter in 1994 after the teen called to report an attempted molestation.
_ A woman in 1996 said Williams had sex with her in a motel after he gave her a ride from a store. She said she left the area later because she was afraid he would arrest her for prostitution.
In all cases, Williams denied doing anything inappropriate or having sex on duty. In the 1992 case, the woman eventually stopped cooperating, and the probe ended with a finding of "unfounded."
In the teen's case, Williams denied having sex until she turned 17. Authorities sought to charge him with criminal sexual assault, believing the relationship began when she was 16. But a grand jury declined to indict him, and a police internal investigation ended with an "inconclusive" finding.
The standards for criminal law, in which someone is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, are different from civil procedures involving discipline of an officer. The evidence standard is generally lower in the administrative hearings.
In the 1996 case, then-Police Chief Ben Click fired Williams in 1997. But a civil service trial board reinstated him five months later.
"How much damage does this guy get to do to the reputation of the department before you finally wind up having enough evidence to get rid of him?" said Click, now an independent police consultant.
Officers fired for serious misconduct have frequently been reinstated by administrative law judges, civil service boards or other city officials. Usually, on appeal the decision-maker found that the burden of proof had not been met or punishment was too harsh. Often, no reason was cited.
Kunkle said those cases bother him because "as a chief, I am held accountable. I'm the one who is going to have to go in front of community groups, deal with media stories and also very likely be sued if there is inappropriate police behavior."
Two recent reforms have sharply reduced the likelihood of reinstatement: The city manager now hears all first-round appeals of fired officers, rather than assistant city managers.
And 2005 changes to the city charter gave civil service trial boards and administrative law judges less discretion in reversing disciplinary decisions during appeals.
After Williams returned to work, he was transferred to different patrol divisions. But the complaints continued, including a woman's 2004 allegation that Williams went to her house uninvited while on duty, began to undress and wanted sex. He denied it.
Kunkle will not comment specifically on Williams' case, but it appears that his entire complaint history may have been taken into account before his latest firing — something not prohibited under the city's personnel rules, the newspaper reported.
In November 2007, Williams responded to a 911 call at a woman's apartment. Over the next three months, they had sex several times a month while he was on duty, she later told authorities. Williams admitted having sex with her but denied he was on duty.
On June 19, Williams was on duty when he went to her apartment complex because he believed she slashed his tires, and the loud argument witnessed by a neighbor lasted for an hour and a half.
During that exchange, Williams received a call to check on a residential burglary alarm but never answered the call, records show.
Investigators could not prove sexual misconduct allegations but found that he violated policy when he failed to answer the burglary alarm call, didn't devote full attention to his job and became involved in an on-duty disturbance.
He was fired Jan. 29. Burleson said Williams plans to appeal.
No date has been set for his hearing before the city manager.
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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/local/stories/DN-williamstimeline_22met.ART.State.Edition1.4c9f408.html
Last month a 20-year Dallas police veteran was fired for failing to respond to an emergency call — but it is not the first time he has been fired or accused of wrongdoing, and some wonder if he will be reinstated again.
Law enforcement experts see Senior Cpl. Anthony Williams' career as a prime example of a recurring dilemma in police departments: how to rid a city of an officer whose record is riddled with serious misconduct allegations when his guilt can't be proven or he keeps getting his job back.
Experts cite lack of evidence, questionable witnesses and sloppy investigations as key hurdles to keeping problematic officers off the streets, The Dallas Morning News reported in Sunday editions. And the situation is made worse by an appeals system that has overturned many firings. Since David Kunkle became Dallas police chief nearly five years ago, 12 of his 62 firings have been reversed.
Keeping an officer on the job after he has been repeatedly investigated has its own risks.
"You are opening yourself up to huge lawsuits and one of the charges will be negligent retention, which means that you knew you shouldn't keep this person as a police officer but you did it anyway," Penny Harrington, an expert on police employee misconduct and former chief of the Portland Police Department in Oregon, told the newspaper.
Williams declined to comment. His attorney Phil Burleson Jr. said Williams is innocent of the allegation that led to his recent firing. He said the firing was "not justified."
Of the sexual misconduct complaints during Williams' career, Burleson said, "He says they've all been fully investigated and found that he didn't commit those allegations."
Among the complaints:
_ A woman in 1992 said that after Williams went to her home on a harassment call, he fondled her as her 6-year-old son watched. She said he flattered her, and they began a brief sexual relationship.
_ A woman said Williams began a sexual relationship with her 16-year-old granddaughter in 1994 after the teen called to report an attempted molestation.
_ A woman in 1996 said Williams had sex with her in a motel after he gave her a ride from a store. She said she left the area later because she was afraid he would arrest her for prostitution.
In all cases, Williams denied doing anything inappropriate or having sex on duty. In the 1992 case, the woman eventually stopped cooperating, and the probe ended with a finding of "unfounded."
In the teen's case, Williams denied having sex until she turned 17. Authorities sought to charge him with criminal sexual assault, believing the relationship began when she was 16. But a grand jury declined to indict him, and a police internal investigation ended with an "inconclusive" finding.
The standards for criminal law, in which someone is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, are different from civil procedures involving discipline of an officer. The evidence standard is generally lower in the administrative hearings.
In the 1996 case, then-Police Chief Ben Click fired Williams in 1997. But a civil service trial board reinstated him five months later.
"How much damage does this guy get to do to the reputation of the department before you finally wind up having enough evidence to get rid of him?" said Click, now an independent police consultant.
Officers fired for serious misconduct have frequently been reinstated by administrative law judges, civil service boards or other city officials. Usually, on appeal the decision-maker found that the burden of proof had not been met or punishment was too harsh. Often, no reason was cited.
Kunkle said those cases bother him because "as a chief, I am held accountable. I'm the one who is going to have to go in front of community groups, deal with media stories and also very likely be sued if there is inappropriate police behavior."
Two recent reforms have sharply reduced the likelihood of reinstatement: The city manager now hears all first-round appeals of fired officers, rather than assistant city managers.
And 2005 changes to the city charter gave civil service trial boards and administrative law judges less discretion in reversing disciplinary decisions during appeals.
After Williams returned to work, he was transferred to different patrol divisions. But the complaints continued, including a woman's 2004 allegation that Williams went to her house uninvited while on duty, began to undress and wanted sex. He denied it.
Kunkle will not comment specifically on Williams' case, but it appears that his entire complaint history may have been taken into account before his latest firing — something not prohibited under the city's personnel rules, the newspaper reported.
In November 2007, Williams responded to a 911 call at a woman's apartment. Over the next three months, they had sex several times a month while he was on duty, she later told authorities. Williams admitted having sex with her but denied he was on duty.
On June 19, Williams was on duty when he went to her apartment complex because he believed she slashed his tires, and the loud argument witnessed by a neighbor lasted for an hour and a half.
During that exchange, Williams received a call to check on a residential burglary alarm but never answered the call, records show.
Investigators could not prove sexual misconduct allegations but found that he violated policy when he failed to answer the burglary alarm call, didn't devote full attention to his job and became involved in an on-duty disturbance.
He was fired Jan. 29. Burleson said Williams plans to appeal.
No date has been set for his hearing before the city manager.
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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/local/stories/DN-williamstimeline_22met.ART.State.Edition1.4c9f408.html
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Cpl Anthony Williams Fired Again for Sex Charges
In 1992, a woman told police that the man fondled her while her 6-year-old child watched. In 1995, a high school student told police she'd been sleeping with him since she was 16.
In 1996, investigators concluded he'd had sex with a woman while on duty. He was fired from his job – as a Dallas police officer – but Senior Cpl. Anthony Williams was reinstated after appealing the decision.
He went on to be accused and investigated again and again for allegedly making improper advances, some while on duty. Each time, Williams denied any inappropriate behavior. Each time, he was cleared or faced minor discipline.
The latest complaint about a sexual advance led to his firing last month for, among other things, failing to respond to an emergency call. The Williams case may test whether numerous complaints in the career of an officer can merit the loss of his job when the findings of misconduct in an individual case might not typically lead to firing.
Law enforcement experts see Williams' 20-year career as a prime example of a problem police departments have faced for years: How does a city rid itself of an officer whose record is riddled with serious misconduct allegations if you can't prove he's guilty or if he keeps getting his job back?
Anthony Williams
The experts cite lack of evidence, questionable witnesses and sloppy investigations as key hurdles to keeping problematic officers off the streets. An appeals system that in the past has overturned many firings exacerbated the difficulties. David Kunkle has seen 12 of his 62 firings reversed since he became Dallas police chief nearly five years ago.
Keeping an officer on the job after he's been repeatedly investigated has its own risks.
"You are opening yourself up to huge lawsuits and one of the charges will be negligent retention, which means that you knew you shouldn't keep this person as a police officer but you did it anyway," said Penny Harrington, an expert on police employee misconduct and former chief of the Portland Police Department in Oregon.
Williams declined repeated interview requests. Phil Burleson Jr., Williams' attorney, said he is innocent of the allegation that led to his firing last month.
"It's just an irate girlfriend; I don't understand the big deal on this one," said Burleson. "We believe that the termination was not justified."
Of the other complaints during Williams' career, Burleson said, "He says they've all been fully investigated and found that he didn't commit those allegations."
Lessons in Army
Before he was hired by the Dallas Police Department in 1989, background investigators learned that Williams, a Cincinnati native, had resigned as a first lieutenant in the Army rather than face a court-martial or other discipline for having sex with a married soldier.
He wrote to his military commanders that he'd thought the woman was divorced and had learned an unforgettable lesson.
In August 1992, Bridget Bell complained that he made sexual advances to her after he went to her home on a harassment call. Bell told investigators that Williams fondled her as her 6-year-old son watched.
She said he flattered her and asked her whether she was married or seeing anyone. She said they began a brief sexual relationship.
Williams denied doing anything inappropriate while on duty. Bell eventually stopped cooperating with investigators, and the investigation ended with a finding of "unfounded." She could not be reached for comment.
It was a pattern that would be repeated. Some women failed to follow through on their complaints, or their word was considered questionable by investigators.
Predators often choose women who aren't viewed as credible, said Kimberly Lonsway, a psychologist and expert on police sexual misconduct.
"If you're going to engage in sexual misconduct, are you going to do it against a nun or are you doing to do it to someone who people don't see as credible?" Lonsway said. "It's a way that these guys can keep on doing this."
On July 30, 1994, Williams went to the home of 16-year-old Tarria "Cookey" Newsome, who called 911 to report an attempted molestation. Tarria later told investigators that shortly after Williams left her home, he called her to ask when they could "hook up."
She said that several days later he took her to his house, where they began having sex. Tarria told investigators the relationship lasted a few months.
She also said she had a special way of contacting him: After her grandmother dropped her off at school, she would page him with a "3" – their signal that all was clear for him to pick her up in his squad car and take her to his home.
"I did this because my grandmother would not approve of Tony," Tarria wrote to investigators.
Tarria's grandmother, Laverne Carter, complained to police commanders about the relationship.
"We told him that he didn't need to be going with her," she said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News.
Carter is adamant that Williams started having sex with Tarria when she was underage. Carter said she did not see them having sex, but she said Tarria told her about the relationship.
But Williams told investigators that he didn't have sex with Tarria until after she turned 17 and denied ever having sex while on duty.
Public integrity investigators wrote that they believed that the relationship began when she was 16, and they sought to charge him with criminal sexual assault. But a grand jury declined to indict him and a police internal investigation ended with a finding of "inconclusive."
The standards for criminal law – in which a person is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt – are different from civil procedures that are the final threshold for disciplining an officer.
In administrative investigations, there is generally a lower "preponderance of evidence" standard.
But in this investigation, internal affairs detectives concluded that there was not enough evidence to prove that Williams had sex with Tarria while on duty or before she turned 17.
Even though her grandmother insists Tarria was a minor. "He set up in my house, and I told him she was 16 years old," she recalled.
Kunkle said that when he became chief in 2004, he found a severely backlogged internal affairs unit, with investigations lingering for as long as two years. Investigators often focused on peripheral issues rather than on serious misconduct allegations.
Today, improvements include typically more thorough investigations that are completed in a more timely fashion. But over the years, there has been a tacit admission that some investigations may have been sloppy.
"You've got to have evidence to make the discipline stick," said Sam Walker, a national police accountability expert. "You've got to have good investigations to develop the evidence that will make the case."
Tarria died in October 2000. She was shot in the head by her boyfriend as they argued while smoking PCP-laced marijuana at Glendale Park on Ledbetter Road in southeast Oak Cliff. Her body was dumped in a creek. A gold necklace, with a pendant spelling out "Cookey," was snatched from her neck and pawned.
First firing
In 1996, Sonya Cleveland told investigators that Williams, whom she'd known for a few years, gave her a ride from a store to the Circle Inn Motel on South Ewing Avenue in north Oak Cliff.
"He was gonna help me get an apartment and a job and help me look nice and all this," she told police investigators.
They returned to her room and had sex, she said. "It didn't last that long and he got up and he put his uniform back on and left," she told investigators.
Cleveland told investigators that afterward, she left the area where she'd been staying because she feared Williams would arrest her on prostitution charges.
She didn't complain to police, but hotel officials did. A maintenance worker told investigators he saw Williams having sex with Cleveland.
Williams denied having sex with her that day but admitted they had a prior sexual encounter.
Police Chief Ben Click fired Williams in January 1997, a month after the investigation concluded. A civil service trial board reinstated him five months later, publicly offering no reason for its ruling.
Click, now an independent police consultant, said he is still infuriated that Williams got his job back.
"How much damage does this guy get to do to the reputation of the department before you finally wind up having enough evidence to get rid of him?" Click said.
In the past, officers fired for serious misconduct were frequently reinstated by administrative law judges, civil service boards or other city officials. Usually, on appeal the decision-maker found that the burden of proof had not been met or punishment was too harsh. Often, no reason was cited for reinstatement.
"Those are the ones that have always bothered me," said Kunkle. "As a chief, I am held accountable. I'm the one who is going to have to go in front of community groups, deal with media stories and also very likely be sued if there is inappropriate police behavior."
Reforms
Two reforms have more recently sharply reduced the likelihood of reinstatement: The city manager now hears all first-round appeals of fired officers, rather than assistant city managers.
And changes to the city charter in 2005 gave civil service trial boards and administrative law judges less discretion in reversing disciplinary decisions during appeals. Previously, they had determined whether discipline was "just and equitable." Now the disciplinary action must be upheld "if a reasonable person could have taken the same disciplinary action against the employee."
When a firing doesn't stick, chiefs can transfer an officer to a position with little public contact.
"It's difficult and probably impossible for the officer to challenge," said Walker, the police accountability expert. "It also sends a message you're not going anywhere on this department."
Dallas has a history of stashing problematic officers in out-of-the way spots, such as the property room, communications and the auto pound. But "increasingly there's fewer and fewer spots," Kunkle said.
And experts say keeping them around creates the potential for other problems.
After Williams returned to work, he was transferred from one patrol division to another. But the complaints continued, including a 2004 case in which a woman alleged that Williams came to her house uninvited while on duty, began to undress, and wanted sex. He denied it.
When a department can't prove more serious misconduct, said Walker, then departments should consider the Al Capone lesson: Capone was convicted of tax evasion and not of the many more serious crimes he was thought to have committed.
"If you can't get them on their primary offense, you get them on something that's related," said Walker, author of the book The New World of Police Accountability.
Dallas' personnel rules don't prohibit taking an officer's entire complaint history into account when meting out discipline, but attorneys for fired officers can fight to keep unsustained allegations from being entered into evidence during appeals.
"There are due process concerns about using prior unproved acts to prove the current act," said Richard Rosenthal, independent police monitor for Denver. "It's permitted in certain circumstances, but it's got to be very convincing. More often than not, you cannot do it."
Kunkle will not comment specifically on Williams' case, but it appears that his entire record may have been taken into consideration in the run up to his latest firing.
In November 2007, Williams responded to a 911 call at the apartment of Felisha Taylor.
She told investigators that from then until February 2008, she and Williams would have sex while he was on duty, usually every other Thursday, Friday and Monday. He would remain 15 to 20 minutes each visit, she said.
Investigators found that he "marked out" – or assigned himself – to her apartment complex four times during that period. On four other occasions, he assigned himself to where he lived. All eight incidents were on Thursday, Friday or Monday, lasting between 20 and 40 minutes.
Williams admitted having sex with the woman. Again, he denied having sex while on duty.
He said he'd only been to her apartment once while on duty, to use the bathroom. Witnesses told investigators they'd seen him going to her apartment several times.
On June 19, 2008, Williams was on duty when he went to Taylor's apartment complex to confront her because he believed she'd slashed his tires. She said he blocked her car as he argued with her in front of her children. The loud argument, witnessed by a neighbor, lasted for an hour and a half.
During that exchange, Williams received a call to check on a residential burglary alarm. He never answered the call, records show.
Again, investigators concluded they couldn't prove sexual misconduct allegations. But they concluded, among other things, that he violated policy when he failed to answer the burglary alarm call, didn't devote full attention to his job and became involved in an on-duty disturbance.
Williams' supervisors, from sergeant all the way up to his assistant chief, recommended he be fired. Calvin Cunigan, who retired recently as head of the internal affairs department, also took the unusual step of writing a six-page memo that outlined the prior sexual misconduct allegations against Williams.
Click said Williams should be fired.
"You don't have anything to lose," he said. "When you get a guy with that kind of history of sexually related allegations, how much work is the guy doing out there? You make that decision and then you defend it the best you can. Who knows, maybe you do get it upheld."
Kunkle fired Williams on Jan. 29. Burleson said Williams plans to appeal. No date has been set for his hearing before City Manager Mary Suhm.
Taylor said she expects Williams will get his job back.
"I really do believe that," Taylor said in an interview with The News. "He's just going to continue doing what he's doing."
COMPLAINTS BETWEEN WILLIAMS' FIRINGS
Between his first firing in January 1997 and the November 2007 events that led to his most recent firing, Senior Cpl. Anthony Williams was investigated several more times:
•In 1999, a woman wrote to complain that Williams, who had investigated a hit-and-run accident in which she was the victim, called her and "had the audacity to tell me ... that he was going to ask me out on a date." Williams told investigators that he thought he was talking to a different woman, and the investigation ended with a finding of inconclusive.
•In 2000, Williams warned a woman that the vice squad was planning to investigate fliers that had been posted around an apartment complex advertising her fee-for-sex services. She said he then called her two days later, asking if he could come over "to suck on a breast or two," she wrote in her statement to investigators. He denied any wrongdoing. Investigators also found that Williams lied to them. He was suspended for five days.
•In 2004, a woman filed a sexual misconduct complaint against Williams after she said he went to her apartment while on duty and began to undress because he wanted to have sex. Williams didn't deny they had a relationship, but he denied going to her house that day and having sex while on duty. Investigators couldn't prove the allegations, but he received a minor form of discipline for being in the area when he should have been elsewhere.
•In 2005, a woman complained that Williams had threatened to take her son to juvenile detention if she didn't have sex with him. But the woman did not make herself available for interviews with public integrity detectives and the investigation was closed.
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SOURCE: Dallas Police Department documents
Other Information: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6275551.html
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