No felony charges for officer in DPS dog's death

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Arizona Department of Public Safety officer who left his K-9 partner in a hot squad car will not face felony charges in connection with the dog's death.

Officer Korey Lankow was placed on administrative leave after leaving Jeg, a drug-sniffing dog, in his squad car outside DPS headquarters in Tucson for more than an hour on July 11. The high that day was about 98 degrees, which means the temperature inside the car was probably in the 120-degree range.

Jeg suffered severe heat-related injuries and had to be euthanized.

Based on the criminal investigation conducted by the Tucson Police Department, the Pima County Attorney's Officer opted not to pursue felony charges against Lankow.

While he won't face felony charges in Jeg's death, The Tucson City Attorney's Office could still file misdemeanor charges.

Lankow, who has been with DPS since October 2005, and Jeg had been partners for almost three years. The 7-year-old Belgian Malinois had worked with another handler before being paired with Lankow.

According to investigators, Jeg was left behind when Lankow was sent on an emergency call while moving from one squad car to another. Lankow was en route to a crash scene when he realized Jeg was not with him.

He turned around to go back to his partner, but it turned out to be too late.

In addition to the TPD investigation, DPS has launched its own internal investigation to determine if Lankow followed proper procedure.

Jeg is the second Arizona law-enforcement dog to die after being left in a hot car.

Chandler police Sgt. Tom Lovejoy was charged with animal abuse after leaving his K-9 partner, Bandit, in a patrol car in August 2007. Bandit was left in the car, which was parked outside of Lovejoy's home, for 12 hours. He died from excessive heat.

Less than three weeks after Jeg's death, two K-9s in Bexar County, Texas died after being left in a deputy's hot patrol car overnight.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/No-felony-charges-for-DPS-officer-in-K-9-partners-death-166407076.html

Buckeye police officer put on leave after argument with teens

A Buckeye police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave after she was cited on suspicion of disorderly conduct.

Corrina Griffith, 36, was cited after a heated argument with teenagers outside a grocery store in Buckeye, said Lt. Dave Hubalik, a Buckeye police spokesman.

The Police Department placed Griffith on leave the morning after the altercation while an internal investigation into her conduct is ongoing, he said. The Goodyear Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation.

"We asked Goodyear to step in for us so that there was no possible appearance of impropriety," Hubalik said. "Goodyear did all the interviews of all the people there. Basically our officers stepped out of it so that there was no influence of any manner, and Goodyear made their decision on what they needed to do."

According to a Goodyear police report, Griffith, who was not on duty, arrived at Bashas' grocery store in Verrado at about 10 p.m. March 13. She was looking for her 15-year-old stepdaughter. The teen reportedly had told her friends that night she had run away from home. Griffith said she has been upset with the girl over various family issues.

The girl was in front of the store with a group of friends - four 15-year-olds and a 17-year-old - when Griffith arrived. Witnesses said Griffith told her stepdaughter to get in the car and then used strong words in threatening language toward the group of teens, the report states.

That sparked an argument between Griffith and one of the teens, who said she "had never been so disrespected in her life," and told Griffith "she needed to act like a mom," according to the report. The two continued to call each other names, and other teens called parents to pick them up.

One parent, Stephanie Rutherford, 36, called police and later confronted Griffith, starting another "loud verbal confrontation" that could be heard in the background of one of the 911 calls, the report states. Another parent reportedly told Griffith, "I know you are a cop, act like one."

Several witnesses said Griffith had an odor of alcohol, but a Goodyear police DUI investigation found that she did not have bloodshot, watery eyes, and did not have any balance or speech issues. She refused a field sobriety test.

Griffith was cited in lieu of arrest on suspicion of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and then released. She is scheduled to appear at the Agua Fria Justice Court in Tolleson on April 21, according to police records.

"It's always disturbing when a police officer gets into trouble, but we're going to handle it just like any other citizen," said Cmdr. Ralph McLaughlin, a Goodyear police spokesman.

Hubalik said Buckeye's internal investigation will determine whether Griffith violated any department policies, including "unbecoming" conduct.

"It's an unfortunate situation, and we're going to wait to see what the internal investigation bears out. Whatever decisions are made will be done in a fair and ethical manner," Hubalik said. "We truly believe that . . . we should hold ourselves to a higher standard, and we will not tolerate this type of behavior."

Griffith, a patrol officer, joined the Buckeye Police Department about two years ago from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. She changed from full time to part time in February 2010.

Griffith is married to Buckeye police Lt. Jared Griffith, a spokesman for the department.

Goodyear police are investigating possible charges against Rutherford, who "also chose not to disengage in a disorderly event" and continued "to argue with Mrs. Griffith, which only escalated the situation," the Goodyear police report states.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/03/24/20110324buckeye-police-officer-argument-teens.html

Ex-Tempe officer faces disciplinary hearing

A former Tempe police officer who smelled of alcohol at work and is wanted for fleeing from Surprise police has a hearing Wednesday before a disciplinary board, a report says.

Former Officer David French, who served in the military and was in the midst of a divorce, suffers post-traumatic stress disorder, his wife told investigators.

Police said he served in the military about 20 years but were uncertain if he fought in Iraq or Afghanistan.

French, 41, is scheduled for a first hearing before the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, which will decide whether to continue reviewing the case. The board has the power to deny certified status or suspend or revoke certification. This would prevent French from serving as a police officer elsewhere.

The report says that French had a heavy smell of alcohol on his breath on April 22. A civilian employee reported it, and Sgt. Mike Carleton also smelled the alcohol.

French told Carleton he had been "drinking heavily" after his previous shift ended. A breath test administered to French registered at .038, which is below the legal limit of .08, but any alcohol in an officer's system is prohibited.

He was relieved of duty that day and Carleton drove him home.

The report says that French also failed to report to duty Jan. 30, and did not notify his agency.

On April 24, French resigned in lieu of termination.

Three months later, on July 1, French fled from Surprise police after they tried to pull him over for erratic driving, the report says. French sped up and cut off numerous vehicles and drove into oncoming traffic, the report says.

A Surprise officer estimated French was traveling 60 miles per hour in a residential neighborhood.

Attempts to find French, whose estranged wife said was armed with a rifle and handgun, were not successful. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office charged him with Unlawful Flight from a Law Enforcement Vehicle, a felony.

French failed to show up for a Nov. 29 court appearance. An in-state warrant has been issued for the arrest of French, who is believed to be out of state.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/02/15/20110215tempe-police-officer-disciplinary-hearing0216.html

Joke of the Day: Phoenix Cops banner drop removal FAIL!

Yesterday's wildly successful confrontation with the National Socialist Movement had many highlights and it's hard to pick out just one. Everyone really brought their 'A-game', for sure. The barricades, the rocks raining down on fascists' heads, the smoke bombs, the fact that we held the NSM at a standstill in the street for well over an hour (past the expiration of their original permit) -- there was a lot to celebrate. In the second in our occasional "joke of the day" series, I thought I would share what I thought was one of the day's funnier moments.

I should say, however, that there was some tough competition for today's prize. The RCP showed up at the rally, sporting matching Bob Avakian shirts (or is it John Goodman?) and hawking their pathetic little rag to unsuspecting victims. An audible laugh went out from the crowd when, just as things were really heating up in the street, someone noticed that the RCP was sitting idly by on the sidewalk holding a banner. "Where's 'the leadership we need' when we need it?" the call went out. The RCP, useless and backward, had no answers. Typical. I can't wait to read their imaginative little write up about the action. I'm sure the anarchist bloc will be transformed into steady Maoist cadre and the anarchist and anti-fascist banners and flags will become the RCP's "flag on a flag" and Avakian stencils. Hi-larious, to be sure! So, RCP gets an honorable mention.

But on to the winner. Before the NSM showed up, some enterprising anarchos dropped a fantastic anti-fascist banner off the parking structure across the street from where the boneheads were going to rally. It took a while for the dimwitted cops to notice it up there but when they did, a troop of riot cops was dispatched to remove it. Stomping up the stairwell, they split up into a couple groups and attempted to pull it down.

Hilarity ensued. Congratulations PPD on your well-deserved award! Enjoy:

http://firesneverextinguished.blogspot.com/2010/11/joke-of-day-phoenix-cops-banner-drop.html