Documents show Savannah Police didn't fully vet officer who later shot, killed Carver Village man
A pre-employment background check of the Savannah Police officer who killed a Carver Village man in June failed to note a series of documented incidents at a previous job as a corrections officer, including three use-of-force violations.
According to personnel records from the Coastal State Prison, where the officer, Ernest Ferguson, worked prior to join SPD in March 2021, Ferguson also received written reprimands from prison supervisors as well as a warden's letter of concern.
None of those disciplinary reports were mentioned in the background investigation either.
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Since his hiring at SPD, Ferguson has been reprimanded for failing to activate his body-worn camera in at least three incidents — sparking two internal disciplinary reviews and one internal counseling form — and misused his department-issued taser while off-duty at home.
The SPD pre-employment background investigation is intended to evaluate an applicant’s integrity, ethical conduct, honesty, prejudices, financial responsibility and past personal behavior. According to the synopsis of the background investigation, the investigator found “no disqualifying derogatory information per guidelines” for Ferguson, and recommended he be hired.
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City of Savannah personnel records show Ferguson, a Northwest Precinct patrol officer, joined the Savannah Police Department on March 15, 2021.
A follow-up, subscriber-only piece follows this initial reporting goes deeper into the incidents highlighted by Ferguson's personnel file from the Coastal State Prison along with his Savannah Police background check.
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Officer's time at Coastal State Prison filled with use-of-force incidents
Ferguson resigned from Coastal State Prison on March 3, 2021, according to his Coastal State Prison personnel file. Ferguson told the SPD background investigator that his his reason for leaving the prison was a “desire to police on the street.”
“My work in corrections has only boosted my desire to police on the street,” wrote Ferguson in a questionnaire that was part of the pre-employment background check.
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Ferguson remains on paid administrative leave while the Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigates the fatal shooting of Saudi Arai Lee, 31, on June 24 near the intersection of West Gwinnett and Magazine streets. SPD also is conducting a separate internal investigation.
Ferguson worked as a corrections officer at Coastal State Prison from February 2020 to March 2021. He also had two periods of employment as a corrections officer with the Alabama Department of Corrections, from March 2016 to March 2018 and February 2019 through May 2019. He has previous experience as a police officer, working for the University of Alabama-Birmingham campus police from March 2018 to December 2018.
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Ferguson's conduct upon moving to Savannah and joining the staff of Coastal State Prison is marked by use-of-force incidents. Additional Coastal State Prison personnel records obtained by the Savannah Morning News reveal, among other findings, that Ferguson failed to follow supervisor’s commands to stop using force, shoved an inmate against a wall and used an arm-bar to take down an inmate.
One month before Ferguson's resignation, and after multiple use-of-force incidents, the warden threatened to decrease Ferguson’s pay.
Asked on his background investigation whether he had any conflicts in his work history, Ferguson wrote, “Never.” Then Coastal State Prison Lieutenant Tiffany Houston wrote Ferguson "follows policy & procedure w/current safety measures.”
Houston also called Ferguson a “hard worker, multi-tasker, team player" and someone “driven to succeed.”
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In a reference letter to SPD, another corrections officer who worked with Ferguson at Coastal State Prison said he was a "no nonsense type of guy," who they called on "whenever there is a disturbance or issues dealing with inmates." The same corrections officer said Ferguson was “known to be patriotic," "with good personal integrity,” and he had “very diverse” friends, “but none that are troublesome.”
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Police didn't fully investigate officer who shot, killed man
