Wandering cops move from department to department
One of the biggest roadblocks to police accountability is so-called “wandering cops” who lose their jobs in one place only to be rehired in another By WILLIAM H. FREIVOGEL and PAUL WAGMAN/ Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
Published: April 28, 2021, 4:30pm
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5 Photos FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 file photo, police hold their clubs as they form a line in front of supporters of President Donald Trump on Election Day in Beverly Hills, Calif. Red states such as Florida and Georgia lead the way in decertifying officers with past problems, while there is no decertification in two of the bluest and biggest in the country - California and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)
WILLIAM H. FREIVOGEL and PAUL WAGMAN
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
ST. LOUIS Timothy Loehmann wanted to be a police officer like his father. He got a job in Independence, Ohio, but it didn t go well. His supervisors allowed him to quit after he suffered a dangerous lack of composure during firearms training. The department concluded he would not be able to cope or make good decisions under stress. The deputy chief wrote Loehmann could not follow simple directions, could not communicate clear thoughts nor recollections, and his handgun performance was dismal.
Cleveland Police did not check on Loehmann s history in Independence before hiring him. Also, Ohio law required a felony before an officer would lose his badge. So it was Loehmann who responded in the fall of 2014 to the Cleveland park where 12-year-old Tamir Rice was playing with what turned out to be a toy gun. Loehmann shot him dead.
Wandering cops shuffle departments, abusing citizens
WILLIAM H. FREIVOGEL and PAUL WAGMAN/Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
April 28, 2021
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1of8FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 file photo, police hold their clubs as they form a line in front of supporters of President Donald Trump on Election Day in Beverly Hills, Calif. Red states such as Florida and Georgia lead the way in decertifying officers with past problems, while there is no decertification in two of the bluest and biggest in the country – California and New Jersey.Ringo H.W. Chiu/APShow MoreShow Less
2of8FILE - This Wednesday, April 21, 2021 booking photo provided by the Minnesota Department of Corrections shows Derek Chauvin, who was convicted the previous day of murder and manslaughter in the 2020 death of George Floyd. Chauvin’s prosecution illustrates that officers who come to public attention in abuse cases often had a string of pri
WILLIAM H. FREIVOGEL and PAUL WAGMAN
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
ST. LOUIS Timothy Loehmann wanted to be a police officer like his father. He got a job in Independence, Ohio, but it didn t go well. His supervisors allowed him to quit after he suffered a dangerous lack of composure during firearms training. The department concluded he would not be able to cope or make good decisions under stress. The deputy chief wrote Loehmann could not follow simple directions, could not communicate clear thoughts nor recollections, and his handgun performance was dismal.
Cleveland Police did not check on Loehmann s history in Independence before hiring him. Also, Ohio law required a felony before an officer would lose his badge. So it was Loehmann who responded in the fall of 2014 to the Cleveland park where 12-year-old Tamir Rice was playing with what turned out to be a toy gun. Loehmann shot him dead.
Wandering cops move from department to department
WILLIAM H. FREIVOGEL and PAUL WAGMAN/ Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
April 28, 2021
FacebookTwitterEmail 5
1of5FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 file photo, police hold their clubs as they form a line in front of supporters of President Donald Trump on Election Day in Beverly Hills, Calif. Red states such as Florida and Georgia lead the way in decertifying officers with past problems, while there is no decertification in two of the bluest and biggest in the country – California and New Jersey.Ringo H.W. Chiu/APShow MoreShow Less