One termination, 7 suspensions, plus other discipline of Fresno police, report shows
A Fresno Police Department officer or employee was terminated and seven have been suspended for breaking police policy this year, according to the latest discipline report released Monday.
The Office of Independent Review releases a report quarterly that includes disciplinary action like requiring training or the firing an officer, though the incidents have sparse details and the report does not say which violations led to which punishments.
Some details are required to be withheld because of California law that protects the privacy of officers.
The seven suspensions totaled 510 hours without pay for those officers, the report says.
Four officers were required to attend additional training and one officer signed a “last chance agreement,” when an officer who has committed misconduct is given one more chance to keep their job pending meeting specific requirements.
Unreasonable force
The reviews completed in the last quarter showed the accusations of use of unreasonable force ended with the officers exonerated or the claims determined to be unfounded.
An officer in one of those cases was found to be discourteous during an arrest and also failed to identify himself as an officer when asked, according to a case opened Sept. 9, the report says.
In another case from May 16, the officer broke policy by not turning on a body-worn camera and not filling out the proper document for a person’s property. The investigation cleared the officer of the accusation of taking money from a person’s wallet, the report says.
Discourteous treatment or conduct unbecoming of a police officer
A case from July 20 found a department employee was arrested on suspicion of DUI. An officer was also found to have failed to fill out a domestic violence report for a case from Aug. 19.
In an Oct. 13 incident, an officer negligently fired a rifle while doing a weapons check at a police station, the report says.
Out of a total of eight complaints of discourteous behavior, four were cleared, the report says.
Administrative or performance matters
There were six findings of administrative or performance matters out of eight completed cases, the report says.
An officer “lacked conscientiousness” in a Jan. 5, 2022, case and another copied a sensitive document, which they then shared with others in June 2 case, the report says. Another officer was found to be abusing leave time in an Aug. 8 case.
A recruit did not properly search someone before putting them into a patrol car and a weapon was later found in the car, the report says. The recruit also did not turn on a body-worn camera in the Aug. 17 case.
Still another officer negligently discharged their weapon while searching an apartment Oct. 26, and another failed to file police reports on Sept. 27.
Vehicle accidents
There were six crash reports completed in the first quarter and all six found the officers to be at fault, the report says.
