WASHINGTON (AP) – The head of a Washington police oversight board says Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier has ignored findings of officer misconduct three times since 2010.
The board’s director told The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/Vb7XCl) that the department’s rejection of its findings has happened in only a small percentage of cases, but it undermines the board’s credibility.
The Office of Police Complaints also says in its annual report that more than one-third of the 64 officers involved in disciplinary cases handled by the board last year refused to cooperate with investigators. That is up from three in 2010.
Lanier said she is asking the D.C. attorney general to give its opinion on whether she has to reprimand an officer in cases where she doesn’t feel the evidence supports it. — Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com
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