Several UTAH cops face disciplinary measures after a trainee officer was surprised using a utilitarian knife to cut a dead homeless – while others looked and laughed, according to the authorities.
Images of newly released bodycam showed that the officers using the knife on Jason Lloyd, 47, after being found dead who in a tent in August, the Salt Lake City police department announced on Friday.
The video shows a trainee officer on only his 11th quarter of work – identified by Fox 13 like Dakota Smigel – given the knife “to burst several blisters on Mr. Lloyd’s right arm,” said the ministry after an investigation.
“I feel like you were making me,” said Smigel saying to others leading him to the body. “Why are you smiling like that?” He asked – saying to others: “You guys.”
Despite these concerns, Smigel was seen cut in the shoes of Lloyd, while other officers could be heard in the background, showed horrible images. The other trainees were then informed by the others to leave details on the knife of his police report, confirmed his department.
“Our investigation revealed that part of the conduct in this case was not professional, dispersed, disrespectful and offensive,” said Salt Lake City police chief Mike Brown.
Seven employees were placed on administrative leave for the incident – with everyone except at work, the ministry said.
The isolated officer to leave, Mark Keep, resigned after being found to have violated eight policies in the department, according to Fox 13.
Smigel was considered “reasonable reasons to believe that his actions were authorized and approved” because he was so new in work and according to the instructions of the elderly who formed it, said the ministry.
One of these officers, Paul Mullenax, returned to work after a three -day suspension for having raped four policies in the department, said the point of sale. Another, Michelle Peterson, received a warning for violating two policies in the department.
The violations included violations of the standard of conduct, violations of the procedures for investigating the death and violations of the preparation of reports, police announced.
“This behavior does not correspond to the professionalism and the integrity that we demand as a police service,” said Chef Brown.
“I indicate my deepest condolences to Mr. Lloyd’s family. Each person we meet deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Our decorum during death surveys should never be below our fundamental values as it has sometimes done in this case. »»
Lloyd’s family said newly published images and feel as if they were mourning again. “
“When Jason died, we could not have an open coffin, we could not have this closure that you usually get when a loved one passes,” Lloyd’s sister Heather Fisher told Salt Lake Tribune.
“And now our closure sees him on a bodycam video in a tent treated this way,” she said.
“We are frustrated because this investigation takes place since August and, as a family, we had no idea. We did not know that he was badly treated. We did not know that it was lacking in respect … We have the impression that we are again in mourning, “said Fisher.
“(Lloyd) was homeless, but he was still loved,” added Fisher in tears.
Since this incident, SLCPD employees have received additional training on “professionalism, decorum and ethics,” said the police service.
Salt Lake’s County Prosecutor’s Office said on February 14 that he would continue the criminal accusations for any of the officers, according to the cops.
