Report: Trotwood Officer Violated Several Policies In Taser Incident
Posted: 3:46 pm EST December 28, 2007Updated: 7:09 pm EST December 28, 2007
TROTWOOD, Ohio -- After more than a month, the internal investigation has been completed into a local police incident that gained national attention.In November, a Trotwood police officer used a Taser gun on a woman, only to find out later that she was pregnant. Now, the internal investigation shows that the officer, who is no longer with the department, violated several department policies.Surveillance video showed a woman outside the Trotwood Police Department, trying to give up her 1-year-old son. She was eventually arrested, but resisted officers’ order, police said.The video shows an officer using his Taser gun on the woman in the neck. She was wearing a large winter coat, and the officer said he did not know until later that the woman was pregnant.On Friday, officials released a copy of the internal affairs investigation into the Tasing incident.
Jill Del Greco Reports: Pregnant Woman Tasered in Trotwood -- November 2007
Most of the violations are against Michael Wilmer, the officer who used the Taser gun. According to the documents, Wilmer was justified in using the Taser gun to subdue the woman as she resisted arrest.The report, however, said Wilmer committed an error in judgment and violated department policy by administering the device to the woman’s neck.According to the report, officers should only target the neck when defending themselves or others from violent attacks. Wilmer was also found in violation for failing to get the woman medical attention, and for not taking photographs of the Taser impact sites on the woman’s body.Earlier this month, Wilmer was fired from the police force after other serious issues came to light, which were also documented in the report.The issues include a MySpace page allegedly showing photographs from an open police investigation, and evidence that Wilmer drove his police cruiser at speeds more than 100 mph.The internal investigation came after a formal complaint was filed by the National Action Network affiliated with Rev. Al Sharpton.News Center 7’s Jill Del Greco spoke on the phone with the president of the Cleveland chapter to discuss the findings.Richard Jones said, ‘This is not over. This young lady has suffered tremendously, and she needs to be compensated. We still want the FBI and the Justice Department to come in and take a hard look at the City of Trotwood and its police department.”In response, Trotwood’s police chief, Mike Etter, said that they’d promised the community that they would thoroughly investigate any policy infractions in connection with this incident. He said he feels that the department has taken the appropriate steps to correct the issues.As a result of the internal investigation, Etter said four other officers were also disciplined in connection with the incident. He said one was given a one day suspension, two were given written reprimands, and another was given a record of caution.For more information into the internal investigation, read the Trotwood Taser Incident Executive Summary -- (Uses Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Most of the violations are against Michael Wilmer, the officer who used the Taser gun. According to the documents, Wilmer was justified in using the Taser gun to subdue the woman as she resisted arrest.The report, however, said Wilmer committed an error in judgment and violated department policy by administering the device to the woman’s neck.According to the report, officers should only target the neck when defending themselves or others from violent attacks. Wilmer was also found in violation for failing to get the woman medical attention, and for not taking photographs of the Taser impact sites on the woman’s body.Earlier this month, Wilmer was fired from the police force after other serious issues came to light, which were also documented in the report.The issues include a MySpace page allegedly showing photographs from an open police investigation, and evidence that Wilmer drove his police cruiser at speeds more than 100 mph.The internal investigation came after a formal complaint was filed by the National Action Network affiliated with Rev. Al Sharpton.News Center 7’s Jill Del Greco spoke on the phone with the president of the Cleveland chapter to discuss the findings.Richard Jones said, ‘This is not over. This young lady has suffered tremendously, and she needs to be compensated. We still want the FBI and the Justice Department to come in and take a hard look at the City of Trotwood and its police department.”In response, Trotwood’s police chief, Mike Etter, said that they’d promised the community that they would thoroughly investigate any policy infractions in connection with this incident. He said he feels that the department has taken the appropriate steps to correct the issues.As a result of the internal investigation, Etter said four other officers were also disciplined in connection with the incident. He said one was given a one day suspension, two were given written reprimands, and another was given a record of caution.For more information into the internal investigation, read the Trotwood Taser Incident Executive Summary -- (Uses Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Previous Stories:
- December 6, 2007: Trotwood Officer Fired Over Pictures Found On MySpace Page
- December 6, 2007: Civil Rights Group Seeks Firing Of Trotwood Police Officer
- November 29, 2007: FBI Investigates After Officer Uses Taser On Pregnant Woman
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