What Does It Take for a Police Officer To Get Fired?

What Does It Take for a Police Officer To Get Fired?

Radley Balko | January 14, 2009, 8:14am

Shoving a 71-year-old Walmart greeter to the ground and, when another customer came to assist, shoving that customer through a glass door?

Nope, even though that particular officer has had several complaints filed against him, and was involved in another altercation a year earlier.

How about three DWI incidents within a one-year span, including one in which the officer ran a roadblock, then had to be tasered, pepper-sprayed, and wrestled to the ground; another in which he hit another car, then left the scene of the accident; and another in which he fell asleep in his cruiser in front of a school, while in drive, with his foot resting on the brake?

Nope. It took a fourth DWI incident to finally get him suspended.

How about an officer with an otherwise stellar record, who has a reputation in the department for honesty, but who became an outspoken critic of the war on drugs, and on one occasion declined to arrest a man after finding a single marijuana plant growing outside the man's home?

Yep, that'll do it.

http://reason.com/blog/show/131046.html

so when they do right wing assholery things, that won't get them kicked off the force. But god forbid a cop should take a stance against police corruption, or unjust laws; not only would it get him kicked off the force, it might get him killed (a la Serpico).

Just curious if this guy falls under a union negotiated contract and the department has to follow those policies in regards to termination. When you protect everybody you have to protect the scumbags rights also.

The people who should NEVER be in positions of authority are the ones who seek it. I know a lot of cops, and so few "good" ones.:thumbsdown: