Saturday, December 17, 2011
Police disciplinary files open, attorney general says
Posted by Max Brantley on Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 10:06 AM
Missed this yesterday. It's an official attorney general's opinion, in response to a question posed by Little Rock Officer Joshua Hastings, about a decision by the department to open investigative files concerning Hastings' 10-day suspension. The attorney general said he agreed that the material should be disclosed.
This isn't as hopeful as it sounds. The attorney general continues to uphold secrecy for investigations of misconduct that do not result in suspension or firing of police officers. However, the opinion did say that it was proper to release the full file on Hastings' suspension, including references to a previous disciplinary action that did not result in suspension. It "implicated public safety" the opinion said. The opinion doesn't reveal the nature of the suspension, but the person requesting the record had asked for records pertaining to failure to respond to a radio signal, speeding and untruthfulness in an internal affairs investigation. Hastings has also been in the news because black officers complained about his hiring despite his admission that he had once attended a KKK meeting.
Access to police records has been at issue recently in LRPD because of the video of Lt. David Hudson repeatedly hitting a bar patron in the face after he questioned Hudson's order that he leave a room at Ferneau, a restaurant and bar in Hillcrest where Hudson was providing private security. The police have refused to reveal internal deliberations on Hudson's three other previous uses of force, none of which resulted in suspensions.
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Comments (3)
Showing 1-3 of 3
If the people of Little Rock want to the employment files, they should pay the salaries for the police.
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MT, I assume that you are talking tongue-in-cheek since that is who pays them. Of course, the money filters through the 1% and their minions first before it gets there so the balance of power isn't upset. I wouldn't think the LR nobility want the feds initiating an investigation on abuse of police power, especially while protecting a moon-lighting officer.
If true, (KKK meeting attendance) this "officer" needs to be fired. Period. Little Rock is already best known as a town with infamously bad race relations. He also should be prosecuted for clear abuse of police authority.
We CAN NOT afford, nor need this kind of attention. We are trying to attract industry here, aren't we? Here's a novel idea, ACT LIKE IT!
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