Police Misconduct Database Proposed
Wheeling chief backs archive of dismissalsBy GABE WELLS Staff Writer With AP Dispatches
Article Photos
WHEELING - Wheeling Police Chief Robert Matheny doesn't like the prospect of hiring an officer who left his last job to avoid being fired for misconduct.
It does happen, Matheny said. Police officers accused of misconduct are sometimes permitted by their department to resign, and the department then conceals that officer's record to avoid tarnishing the reputation of the agency.
"If we get an officer from another department, that department will sometimes tell you the officer worked there and nothing else," Matheny said. "We make (the officer) sign a waiver that we can get that information from the past employer, but sometimes (the past employer) won't cooperate.
"They worry they will be held liable," he added. "I think they are more liable if they don't give that info."
Locally, the village of Bethlehem hired an officer this year who had resigned in 2007 from the Wheeling Police Department in the wake of allegations that he stole a counterfeit $100 bill from an evidence locker and tried unsuccessfully to pass it. That incident took place while Matheny's predecessor, Kevin Gessler, was chief.
The Intelligencer reported on July 29 that village officials were aware of Dan Griffin's past when they hired him to patrol their streets.
Griffin pleaded no contest in Ohio County Magistrate Court to a single count of destruction of property. He also had been accused of destroying an evidence intake report and a chain of custody form. He was fined $100 following the no contest plea, and charges of obstructing an officer and petit larceny were dismissed with prejudice.
Bethlehem Police Chief August Bankey said he knew of the circumstances surrounding Griffin's departure from the Wheeling Police Department prior to his hiring in Bethlehem. Bankey said village officials received a letter from the West Virginia Governor's Committee on Crime and Delinquency confirming Griffin still is a certified officer permitted to work in the Mountain State.
Bethlehem Mayor Garrett Daniel in July spoke highly of Griffin and said hiring him was the right decision.
"He's a good officer with great credentials," Daniel said. "He's a qualified individual, and I have confidence in that fact. Everybody makes mistakes in life. Second chances are deserved."
Matheny believes information about an officer's on-the-job conduct should not be a closely guarded secret, and a West Virginia lawmaker who also is a former sheriff seems to agree.
Sen. Bill Laird, D-Fayette, served four terms as sheriff of the county he now represents. He is considering ways to keep an eye on misconduct by police officers, and one plan may include a central database tracking disciplinary actions taken against police officers.
Matheny said Laird may be on to something.
"I kind of agree," Matheny said. "If an officer gets in trouble and is allowed to resign, they move on to another agency where they become someone else's problem."
Matheny believes an officer's "reason for separation," or reason for leaving a department, should be sent to the Governor's Committee on Crime, Delinquency and Correction immediately after he or she leaves a particular agency. That information should then be available when the officer seeks employment at another department. He said police departments should have some accountability for allowing someone who may be a problem officer to sign on at another agency.
"The agency must report the facts," Matheny said. "That's how you alleviate the problem. When I left (the Clarksburg Police Department), they didn't have to notify anyone. If I would've been in trouble, there would have been no record of it. ... This would let the next agency know an officer left and also why they left. I've always kind of thought that's the way it should be."
West Virginia State Police Sgt. Curtis Tilley, chairman of a law enforcement training subcommittee in the governor's office, said police misconduct is rare.
He estimates that fewer than 1 percent of West Virginia's 3,500 or so police officers run afoul of the law.
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opinionsonly
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12-31-09 1:38 PM
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What about the Officer that Griffin replaced in Bethlehem?
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billybob
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12-31-09 11:48 AM
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Chief I think you should also have classes to explain what is against the law. No I don't mean the obvious dui, speeding, etc. I think those are self explanatory. Biggest example is dangerous dog law, or even the milk run laws like parking on sweeper days, walking in the street, boom boom cars and such. One think I see often is the loud cars and little children in car seats in that vechicle. I know these are boring but part of the job. I was brought up respecting the law and sure do try. And to all hope you have a safe then Happy New Year!
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JamesT
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12-31-09 1:26 AM
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Imagine that! Dirty cops. Look at the Federal Justice Department's decree against the city of Steubenville. Nearly twenty years and the cops still kept thier jobs.
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atoddh
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12-30-09 3:35 PM
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Persons in law enforcement - and the Courts -should be exemplary.The Chief is right
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true2bun
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12-30-09 2:54 PM
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hillsman, i would say probably one in four - six do not get caught
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richardwhee
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12-30-09 1:14 PM
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Appears that Wheeling is turning into another Wash. D.C. and the Fed Gov.
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smillard
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12-30-09 12:13 PM
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Very rare or rarely reported. First of all please let me say that I back every Officer of the Law 100% until given a reason not to. To this day I will still not go to the Metro downtown. I am shocked that this is even an issue. People who are supposed to uphold the law letting criminals go with no trail of misconduct. I think this is just appalling in society today. If it wasn’t for the national news covering it I bet the two from Bpt. and Ferry would be patrolling somewhere near you. This should already be a law and not just an idea.
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HillsMan
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12-30-09 11:05 AM
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"He estimates that fewer than 1 percent of West Virginia's 3,500 or so police officers run afoul of the law"....THAT 1 PERCENT IS JUST THE ONES THAT GET CAUGHT....How many of the other 99 percent have run afoul and not been caught????
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justmytake
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12-30-09 11:04 AM
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The flaw of course in this piece of fluff is it still requires the agency to devulge information. If an agency will not devulge the information now what makes anyone think it will later. The reason for leaving will be documented just as it is now. That usually means the officer left for "perssonal reasons" Any agency who hires a cop who left for misconduct is an agency who either, owns the liability, such as Bethlehem hireing Griffin, or fails to do a proper backround investigation. If Chief Matheny thinks this type of legislation will accomplish anything he is a fool.
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ElmGroveMan
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12-30-09 9:39 AM
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stealing evidence from the Police Station is a minor mistake? Come on this guy should NEVER have been hired as a peace officer anywhere!!!! Goes to show how corrupt the fine mayor of Bethlehem is.
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