Schertz police officers involved in Zekee Rayford case won’t be suspended, will return to patrol, city says
Schertz PD: Investigation did not find excessive use of force
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SAN ANTONIO – Three Schertz police officers involved in the arrest of Zekee Rayford, who was tackled and tased by officers on Nov. 2 in front of his home, will not face suspensions following the conclusion of an internal investigation.
The Schertz Police Department on Thursday stated that while Rayford and his family alleged the officers violated the department’s policy on use of force and other rules of conduct, the investigation found that the officers only violated their duty to be “kind, courteous and patient.”
In a Thursday news release, the Schertz Police Department stated that an internal investigation found the officers involved in Rayford s arrest had been in violation of the department s Rules of Conduct Section 4.31, which requires a duty to be kind, courteous and patient.
The investigation did not find or sustain violations of the Use of Force policy, nor Rules of Conduct sections covering conduct and behavior, responsibility to respect the rights of others, use of intimidation and treatment of persons in custody.
In addition to the internal investigation, the department stated in its release that the city contracted with an independent third-party consultant to provide a review of existing policies and training.
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Schertz police: Officers who tackled, kicked and tased teenager violated one department policy - but not five others
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A screen grab from a home surveillance video shows one of three Schertz police officers pointing a weapon at Zekee Rayford, 18, on the front steps of his home./Video Courtesy of the Rayford family
Three Schertz police officers who tackled, kicked and tased a teenager during a controversial arrest in November will receive counseling after an internal investigation into their actions found they did not act in a kind, courteous or patient manner.
The investigation conducted by other officers in the department did not find that the officers had violated five other administrative rules, including those about use of force and on-duty conduct.
2021: Optimism as demand for home-grown grain increases
The recent uplift in grain prices and the increase in this year’s area of autumn-sown cereals have combined to give Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Grain Committee chairman Mark Browne cause for optimism that Ireland’s cereal growers can look forward to 2021.
“Demand for home grown grain continues to strengthen. There will be no carryover of stocks into the New Year,” Browne said.
“All of this is positive. Looking ahead, there is every prospect of the drinks sector becoming more active in terms of their involvement with Irish farmers.
Demand for premium quality Irish grain continues to increase across the board. This is evident courtesy of the activity taking place within the distilling and milling sectors.
December 16, 2020 12:10 pm
Government policy has got to “ensure a level playing field” for local tillage and horticulture farmers, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said.
The farm organisation was reacting to the Ag Climatise – A Roadmap towards Climate Neutrality – report published by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Commenting, IFA Grain Committee chairman Mark Browne acknowledged the emphasis on increasing the tillage area in this country, and promoting the use of native grain and protein crops in livestock rations.
However, in order to achieve these goals, government actions and policy must support the sector, he asserted.
Some of the current proposals under the next CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] in relation to convergence and the administration of eco schemes will impact negatively on the tillage sector.