A police officer was accused of being dishonest on an arrest report; lying about her photography business; and other misconduct. Associate Attorney Dana Segal convinced the arbitrator to uphold the police department’s decision to terminate.
First, the arbitrator determined that the city met its burden of showing that the officer provided false and misleading statements regarding both the arrest report and her outside employment. As to the arrest report, the arbitrator noted that the officer stated in her report that she did not observe any officers use any force, yet the body-worn camera showed the officer tapping a fellow officer to get him to stop placing force on the suspect’s neck and head area. The arbitrator also determined that the officer misled the department when she claimed to have conducted “free” photography sessions while advertising, charging, and being paid for at least two sessions.
Second, the arbitrator found that the penalty of termination was appropriate because the police department had good and sufficient cause to terminate an officer it could not trust. The arbitrator denied the officer’s grievance and upheld the termination.