RIVIERA BEACH — Maki Haberfeld is chair of legislation and police science on the John Jay Faculty of Prison Justice in New York Metropolis. She has written 5 books on points associated to police conduct and misconduct.
And Haberfeld has by no means heard of the time period “un-arrested” earlier than — and positively not within the context of home violence.
However that’s precisely what Riviera Seashore Police Chief Nathan Osgood ordered his officers to do throughout a home battery investigation into Councilman Douglas Lawson on Aug. 29.
“It’s extremely uncommon to discover a police chief to problem officers discretion,” Haberfeld instructed Contact 5 on Friday.
Safety video on the Marina Grande confirmed a shoving match within the elevator between Lawson and his fiancé, One other video from the storage confirmed Lawson pulling Jade Calloway from the driving force’s seat of an SUV.
Calloway stated she had an excessive amount of to drink and Lawson was retaining her from getting behind the wheel and driving whereas intoxicated. She denied he ever dedicated battery towards her.
Lawson was in custody earlier than Osgood’s order got here down. The chief then fired the officer who wrote the arrest report, 15-year veteran Captain Rochelet Commond.
Then on Thursday, the town of Riviera Seashore reinstated Commond and known as for an outdoor investigation.
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When Haberfeld was instructed of the fallout in Riviera Seashore she determined to Google “un-arrested.”
“It’s not a time period that’s normally utilized in police jargon,” instructed Contact 5.
Commond wrote within the police report: “Osgood offered a director order to un-arrest the suspect, and make him complete once more.”
Haberfeld stated she understands after reviewing the video why Commond thought he had possible trigger to cost Lawson. She stated gone are the times the place officers placed on relationship counseling hats — there may be zero tolerance on the subject of home abuse.
“The officers have little or no discretion every time there are suspicions that there’s truly a home violence conditions,” she stated. “Officers must cost someone and afterward in the course of the investigation, issues would possibly change and particular person is likely to be acquitted or someone else is likely to be arrested.”
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Additionally on Friday, Metropolis Supervisor Jonathan Evans defined to Channel 5 why the town reversed Commond’s termination.
On the time of his firing, Evans stated Commond failed to inform the town he subject the Lawson arrest report with the state lawyer. Town later found Commond did file the paperwork.
“Had we identified that, we wouldn’t have moved ahead with the separation,” Evans stated.
Terrance Davis, the previous Riviera Seashore metropolis councilman, stated that it is time for the town to heal and one of the simplest ways to do this is to place Commond again patrolling the streets.
“(He is) completed a number of work on the college for the children. He’s at all times there. Top-of-the-line officers we’ve seen come by means of right here,” Davis stated.
Evans stated Commond shall be on administrative go away pending an investigation. He stated the town is deciding whether or not the Florida Division of Legislation Enforcement will conduct that investigation or if an personal agency will do the work.
He stated the investigation will take as much as six months.
