WASHINGTON (AP) - Washington's police chief criticized a veteran detective Monday for pulling a gun during a mass snowball fight. Authorities said the officer is on desk duty while the case is under investigation. Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said she had watched video clips from the weekend confrontation and has no doubt that the off-duty officer pulled his gun after snowballs hit his personal vehicle during Saturday's record snowfall.
"Let me be very clear in stating that I believe the actions of the officer were totally inappropriate!" Lanier said in a statement. "In no way should he have handled the situation in this manner."
Context? The video says everything they need to know. This should take a couple of days, at most, not weeks.Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham told reporters Monday that the detective has been placed on desk duty and his badge and weapon have been withdrawn. He did not identify the officer but described him as a veteran detective with more than 25 years of experience.
"He has a very good reputation," he said.
Newsham said the internal affairs division wants to complete its investigation as quickly as possible, within a number of weeks.
"We have to put the whole incident into context," he said.
There could be a recommendation to discipline the detective, which could range from a reprimand to removal, he said.
I don't agree that this Detective should have withdrawn his weapon from his holster and he should be punished accordingly; but if you do some research you will find that the majority of this crowd was largely full of left wing/anarchist types and young civilians carrying various anti-war and anti-capitalism signs.
I do agree that the crowd escalated to a public nuisance when vehicle starting getting pelted with snow balls. What would have happened had a driver been startled and accidentally run someone over?
Also, if you watch some of the other videos related to the incident you will find that the majority of this crowd has no respect for authority and can be heard yelling "F*** you pig" several times.
Here's all you need to know for now. He has the full support of his superiors. 'Cause it's OK to do what he did.
Would anybody dare take my bet of a million fictional dollars to say that if the cop actually shot someone, that this same statement would not be made by his department?
Several conflicting reports as to who had a gun and what the cop had in his hand. It will be interesting to see the actual outcome. But yeah...if he was waving a weapon around over that...he might want to cut back on the caffeine.
Video at the source.WASHINGTON - The D.C. police union says a detective accused of unholstering his gun at a snowball fight faces a possible 10-day suspension.
The Fraternal Order of Police said Detective Michael Baylor learned about the proposed suspension Tuesday and plans to appeal. The police union is representing Baylor, who does not have an attorney.
In a report dated Feb. 4 and obtained by The Associated Press, the police department's internal affairs bureau says Baylor acted "confrontational" as he approached a large crowd in northwest Washington in December. The review also says Baylor failed to report stopping a man he thought had thrown a snowball at the detective.
A D.C. police spokeswoman says she cannot comment on personnel matters.