Steve Miletich at the Seattle Times reports:
Seattle police Officer Adley Shepherd has been notified he faces firing over punching a handcuffed, intoxicated woman during an arrest in June 2014, according to sources familiar with the decision.
Under labor rules, Shepherd, an 11-year-veteran, will be given a chance to meet with Police Chief Kathleen OâToole to contest his proposed termination.
Shepherd has an interesting history at the department. KIRO reported that one week before punching the womanâMiyekko Durden-Bosley, who was 23 at the timeâand damaging her eye socket, Shepherd taught a use of force class at the department. In 2010, he appealed a ten-day suspension for releasing a man accused of domestic violence instead of jailing him. The man later went back home and killed his roommate.
In the wake of this latest news, Seattle Police Officers Guild President Ron Smith appears to be ramping up his campaign against Office of Professional Accountability Director Pierce Murphy, the department's top civilian oversight official, who oversees investigations into misconduct. Smith called the potential firing "yet another overreach" by Murphy and pledged to undo his "fantasy" when in the hearing with the chief. Columnists in the union's newsletter have viciously attacked Murphy in recent months.
The OPA investigation found Shepherd used excessive force against Durden-Bosley, according to Miletich's unnamed sources. But it doesn't make much sense for Smith to direct his ire solely at Murphy, because it wasn't just Murphy who recommended his termination from the department. Under the current disciplinary system, that proposal would have come from an ad hoc group of SPD officials, including members of the department brass and the chain of command (as well as Murphy), after they all considered the OPA's findings.
The Seattle Police Department is now describing itself as "the national model for reform" of police. Whether O'Toole fires Shepherd after his appeal will give us another data point on how willing she is to get rid of bad cops.