Hearing Officer Upholds Termination Of Police Officer Involved In Fatal Shooting

LCW Managing Partner Scott Tiedemann and Associates Paul Knothe and Kaylee Feick recently prevailed in a police officer termination appeal.  The case concerned a field training officer (FTO), who was one of two officers involved in a fatal shooting.  The other officer was a probationary officer who had lateraled from another agency.

The probationary officer fired 75 rounds, many of which were through the windshield of a moving vehicle, during a slow-speed pursuit on a Saturday morning through a quiet residential neighborhood. During the pursuit, the FTO fired 11 rounds with a high-powered AR-15 rifle.  The FTO also failed to: provide effective feedback to the probationer; give the suspect an opportunity to surrender; and use appropriate felony traffic stop tactics.  For these reasons, the hearing officer concluded that the police department had just cause to terminate the officer’s employment.