The City of Carbondale, Illinois is party to a collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council. Shane Harris, a dispatcher, is in the FOP’s bargaining unit. The City adopted a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy effective September 27, 2021. The Policy states, in part, “The City of Carbondale requires all employees to be…
Steve Jones was a supervisor for the paramedic program within the City of Loma Linda’s Fire Department in California. In January 2014, one of the employees who Jones supervised punched a patient. The employee told Jones about punching the patient. Jones failed to report the incident and when the incident came to light, Jones was…
When the Town of Kingston, Massachusetts lost an arbitration decision and was ordered to reinstate a member of the Kingston Police Superior Officers Union, the Town challenged the decision in the Massachusetts Court of Appeals. In a brief, three-page decision, the Court rejected the Town’s arguments. The Court began by accepting the Town’s basic argument…
Shaina Kirkland served as a patrol officer with the City of Maryville’s police department in Tennessee. While in that role, Kirkland periodically used her Facebook account to criticize the County Sheriff. Kirkland’s supervisors became concerned that her posts would undermine the Department’s relationship with their sister law enforcement agency, so they asked her to stop.…
Tyler Sapp was a police officer for the Forest Preserves of Cook County in Illinois. Among other duties, Forest Preserves police officers are expected to respond to emergency calls for service and provide direction and assistance during emergencies such as serious illness or injury, severe weather, fires, and bomb threats. The Preserves’ job description requires…
Sheila Kalina was a deputy sheriff for Cook County, Illinois. The Sheriff charged Kalina and three other deputy sheriffs with various infractions of departmental rules arising out of an incident where two male prisoners sexually assaulted a female prisoner. Kalina, who was working in the Markham courthouse, was charged with improperly allowing the male prisoners…
A case involving the termination of two Los Angeles Police Department officers contains one of the more unusual fact patterns in any reported police discipline case. Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell were working as partners on Saturday, April 15, 2017, assigned to a foot patrol beat. Their primary responsibilities included providing community services and addressing…
Roxanne Mathai was a lieutenant with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in Texas. Mathai maintained a Facebook page that had photos of her in her Sheriff’s Office uniform. On January 7, 2021, the Sheriff’s Office learned from Mathai’s Facebook page that she had participated in the events at the Capitol on January 6. Mathai posted…
Megan Habina was a trooper with the New Jersey Division of State Police. Sometime in late 2016, while on duty, Habina lost the alcohol influence report necessary to complete the paperwork for a drunk driving arrest. She consulted with Trooper Casey McPartlin, who suggested she contact the Alcohol and Drug Testing Unit to retrieve a…
Roy Neely worked as a firefighter for the New Orleans Fire Department. On September 1, 2020, Neely struck an overhead door as he was driving a rescue unit vehicle out of Fire Station 7. Neely’s District Chief ordered a post-accident substance abuse test. The test was administered by Jeffrey Mendler, the owner of Toxicology and…
On October 21, 2017, Michael Stanitis, a police officer for the Bridgeport Police Department in Connecticut, responded to an incident in which he and other police officers arrested Carmelo Mendez. On October 22, 2020, the Bridgeport Board of Police Commissioners terminated Stanitis’ employment upon finding that he used excessive force during Mendez’s arrest, and that…
Gerardo Colon became a Cleveland firefighter on October 9, 2000. Over his career, Colon suffered three consequential injuries on the job to his neck, back, shoulder and knee that have caused ongoing pain. In 2017, Colon tested positive for marijuana, and admitted to smoking marijuana prior to the test to help him sleep. In lieu…
Cliff Snider is a firefighter with the city of Pasadena, California. In 2009, and then again from 2011 forward, Snider was the president of the Pasadena Firefighters’ Association. In October 2014, Snider injured his back while trying to lift a patient during an emergency call. Although Snider initially felt well enough to remain on duty,…
On June 12, 2020, Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe and another officer were called to a Wendy’s restaurant to deal with Rayshard Brooks, who had fallen asleep in his car in the drive-through lane. The officers questioned Brooks for a half hour and conducted field sobriety tests. As the officers moved to handcuff Brooks, Brooks…
James Fermin was hired by the Lawrence Police Department in Massachusetts in April 2016. After completion of the police academy, Fermin was sworn in as a full-time officer on October 14, 2016. Fermin was on probationary status until October 14, 2017. On August 2, 2017, Mayor Daniel Rivera gave Fermin a written notice of termination.…
Parties to contracts such as labor agreements can choose to substitute arbitration for a court resolution of contractual disputes. With two notable exceptions, final and binding arbitration of grievances is just that: final and binding. As the Supreme Court held in United Steelworkers of America v. Enterprise Wheel & Car Corp., 363 U.S. 593 (1960),…
Michael Snowden is an African American male who formerly worked as a sergeant for the United States Park Police (USPP) supervising other law enforcement officers in the Communications Section. While working a shift in August 2004, Snowden received a call from his relative, Brian Lamont. On the call, Lamont asked Snowden for the registration information…
After being injured while on duty as an EMT for the Borough of Wildwood Crest, New Jersey in 2010, and following two surgeries on his knee, Jasen Mitchell reached the maximum level of rehabilitation before being medically cleared for modified duty. The physical restrictions placed on Mitchell made it impossible for him to perform the…
Brad Sandefur was a corrections officer for the Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois. He suffers from disk desiccation in his spine and osteoarthritis in his knees. Both conditions can cause intermittent pain for weeks at a time. In 2011, Sandefur applied for and received a handicapped parking placard from the Illinois Secretary of State. His…
To become a City of Plainfield firefighter in New Jersey, applicants are required to prove residency. Christopher D’Amico submitted several documents supporting his Plainfield residency, including a roller hockey alliance insurance card. D’Amico modified the card to include his actual residential address in Plainfield. According to D’Amico, he revised the card because he did not…
Martin Deiro began working for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 1997 and was injured on duty in May 2012. He continued to work though October 2013, after which he had the first of two surgeries for the injury. He could not return to work after his first surgery and remained on leave. On…
Andrew Kline is a police officer with the Township of Uwchlan in Pennsylvania. On October 26, 2018, Kline, Officer Warren Obenski and Sergeant David Balben responded to a domestic violence call. While at the caller’s residence, Obenski seized a black duffel bag on the suspicion that it contained illegal drugs. After arriving at the police…
Eric Hiller was a police officer with the Rehoboth Beach Police Department in Delaware. In July 2018, Hiller was advised that he must complete a computer voice stress analyzer exam (CVSA) so that the Department might examine the truthfulness of Hiller’s statements made during his initial interview involving the events of a prisoner transport. A…
Patricia Fritz was the Chief Deputy in the Office of the Sheriff of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. In August 2018, Fritz met with Corporal Steven Felder in his capacity as union president. After other business had been concluded, Felder began a discussion with Fritz concerning her implementation of a policy requiring medical excuses for absence from…
Eric Reamy was a sergeant with the Glen Rock Police Department in New Jersey. From 2011 to 2015, Reamy wrongfully and without authorization sold four rifles and three handguns that he improperly removed from the Department’s evidence locker. In 2015, Reamy was the juvenile officer for the Department. He began sexting on his work cellphone…
