The UPoR has managed to get some information out of the CMPD on officers that were fired or suspended over the past five years. An exercise in pulling teeth really but that’s to be expected as neither the police department nor city government in general has any incentive to release this information. However, the new information raises some significant questions.

• We now know why officers E.W. Garrison (lying in court) and T.S. Rhodes (domestic violence, sex while on duty) were fired. We can pretty much figure it out for Marcus Jackson. Three other officers have been fired in the past five years. Who were they and what did they do?

Twenty-three (not 22) suspensions of over 2 weeks (above 80 hours active suspension) have been handed out from late 2005 on:

  • Officer SN Sweatt, 120 hours on Feb. 6, 2006.
  • Add: Officer WS Cook, 184 hours on Feb. 18, 2006.
  • Officer KL McMicking, 120 hours plus 120 hours inactive suspension on Feb. 21, 2006.
  • Officer KD Dailey , 160 hours and 80 hours both on June 15, 2006.+
  • Officer DJ Frazila, 240 hours on Oct. 12, 2006 +
  • Officer KM Hofner, 240 hours on Feb. 1, 2007.+
  • Officer JV Whitlow, 96 hours on Oct. 24, 2007. +
  • Officer S Brandon, 120 hours on Dec. 4, 2007.
  • Major EC Johnson, 240 hours on June 25, 2008. +
  • Officer ST McMichael, 200 hours on July 18, 2008. +
  • Officer N Ouaneoudone, 96 hours on July 23, 2008. +
  • Officer TS Phillips, 720 hours on Feb. 19, 2009. +
  • Officer RD Helms, 120 hours plus 40 hours inactive suspension on May 4, 2009.+
  • Officer JL Isenhour, 240 hours on Nov. 4, 2009.
  • Officer J Wolfe, 240 hours on Nov. 13, 2009. +
  • Officer TA Mozingo, 240 hours on Nov. 18, 2009.
  • Officer PE Farewell, 160 hour suspension on Feb. 10, 2010. +
  • Officer AL West, 160 hour suspension on March 16, 2010.+
  • Officer DE Jones, 240 hour suspension on April 5, 2010.+
  • Officer CR Tolley, 240 hours on June 15, 2010.
  • Officer BE West, 160 hours on June 30, 2010.
  • Sergeant KL Weaver, 480 hours on July 6, 2010.
  • Sergeant SB Murphy, 120 hours on Sept. 23, 2010.

Two other critical things about these long suspensions: Ten of the 23 cases came within the last year. Why is this? More misconduct or is the department cracking down?

A majority (13 of 23) of the officers that got a long suspension were also suspended at some other point of the past five years. These are indicated by a “+” symbol above. Were the previous (or later) suspensions for the same sort of conduct that resulted in a long suspension? Did the department reassign the officer between the suspensions? Retrain them? These other suspensions are (with date of the long suspension in parenthesis):

  • Officer KD Dailey (June 15, 2006): 40 hours on Jan. 5 2006.
  • Officer DJ Frazila (Oct. 12, 2006): 24 hours inactive suspension on Aug. 9, 2006.
  • Officer KM Hofner (Feb. 1, 2007): 8 hours on June 10 2006.
  • Officer JV Whitlow (Oct. 24, 2007): 24 hours plus 56 hours inactive suspension on May 14, 2007.
  • Major EC Johnson (June 25, 2008): 8 hours plus 32 hours inactive suspension on Aug. 13, 2010. His 2008 suspension was apparently for excessive force. In addition, he was arrested last month in a domestic dispute. He’s apparently been demoted to captain as this org chart shows.
  • Officer ST McMichael (July 18, 2008): 16 hours inactive suspension on Jan. 23, 2007.
  • Officer N Ouaneoudone (July 23, 2008): two 8 hours inactive suspensions on Jan. 17, 2006, 24 hours plus 16 hours inactive suspension on June 9, 2008.
  • Officer TS Phillips (Feb. 19, 2009): 8 hours on Sept. 22, 2010.
  • Officer RD Helms (May 4, 2009): 16 hours plus 8 hours inactive suspension on May 4, 2006.
  • Officer J Wolfe (Nov. 13, 2009): 16 hours plus 8 hours inactive suspension on Aug. 23, 2009.
  • Officer PE Farewell (Feb. 10, 2010): 8 hours inactive suspension on Feb. 17, 2006; 16 hours inactive suspension on May 20, 2009; 24 hours on Aug. 26, 2009; 56 hours on Sept. 18, 2009).
  • Officer AL West (March 16, 2010): 8 hours inactive suspension on Feb. 6, 2006.
  • Officer DE Jones (April 5, 2010), 8 hours inactive suspension on Feb. 10, 2006, 16 hours on Aug. 3, 2006.

And then we have a couple of officer that have raked up multiple, short suspensions:

  • Officer DB Holshouser has been suspended five times (Nov. 10, 2008, 16 hours; Nov. 10, 2008, 8 hours inactive suspension; May 14, 2009, 16 hours; May 14, 2009, 8 hours plus 8 hours inactive suspension; Feb. 26, 2010, 40 hours).
  • Officer MA Rodriquez has been suspended six times (Jan. 31, 2006, 8 hours inactive suspension; Feb 24, 2009, 8 hours inactive suspension; April 21, 2009, 8 hours; June 15, 2009, 40 hours; Aug. 14, 2009, 8 hours and 8 hours inactive suspension, Dec. 16, 2009: 24 hours).

Again, what pattern of misconduct was behind these suspensions?

Update: Marcus Jackson’s two previous suspensions were 16 hours inactive suspension on Sept. 14, 2009 and then 16 hours on Nov. 5, 2009. The second suspension caused the previously inactive (suspended) first suspension to come into force, so he got four days off. He was fired on Dec. 30, 2009 and is currently in the Mecklenburg County Jail awaiting trial.