A police officer in Minnesota was suspended for threatening to shoot a passenger in the head after an unauthorized high-speed chase. In Paterson, New Jersey, an officer threw a handcuffed woman to the ground and strangled her. And in Little Rock, Arkansas, a patrol officer was allowed to rack up 36 sustained misconduct allegations and at least 65 days of suspension.
Each officer went on to be involved in a deadly encounter with the public. Not in shootings, but in cases where the force – whether physical restraints, blows or weapons such as a Taser – is referred to as less lethal.
Experts believe there are certain past actions — multiple excessive use-of-force cases, domestic violence, mental health concerns among them — that agencies should not overlook when hiring or retaining officers. However, national disciplinary standards are haphazard and disparate, and early-warning systems meant to identify troubled officers often fail.
Red flags are often ignored. Here in Seattle, SPD hired Kevin Dave who was fired from the Albuquerque department for reckless driving and drinking while driving and running from the police. A couple years after joining SPD, he thought it was a good idea to go 75 mph in a 25 mph zone with no siren on (lights were on) to get to an OD call. He ran over Jaahnavi Kandula and killed her while she was crossing an intersection. He still works at the SPD and is refusing to pay the $5000 fine he got.