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

Hundreds of Arizona cops retire under scrutiny

Hundreds of officers across the Valley have handed in their badge - rather than face discipline.

CBS 5 Investigates found that in many cases, they took a full pension and benefits with them - seemingly retiring their troubles away.

"I served 23 years with absolutely no discipline," said former Phoenix Police Officer Philip Shores.

Shores is correct. Even though an internal audit found he mishandled nearly 80 percent of his child sex crime cases, he was never disciplined. Instead, he retired with a full pension.

"I've had no contact with the police department since I retired," Shores told CBS 5 News during an interview last week.

Shores is not alone.

"It's absolutely frustrating," said Chief Phoenix Police Chief Daniel Garcia.

He spoke candidly about the issue.

"We're in an atmosphere where we have to show transparency to our community and show accountability to our community," Garcia said.

The controversial practice of retiring to escape punishment extends across the state.

Take Goodyear Police Chief Mark Brown and commander Ralph McLaughlin - both were accused of covering up a hit-and-run that killed 18-year-old Jered Pendleton from Avondale. Both retired.

Lt. Col. Jack Hegerty with Arizona's Department of Public Safety accepted Arizona Diamondback tickets from an agency DPS regulates. Rather than face two days suspension for the conflict of interest violation, he retired.

This summer, Phoenix police Sgt. Arnold David got caught on surveillance allegedly pocketing several thousand dollars during a robbery call. He too, retired.

"I think the guy ought to go to prison," said Bill Louis, former Phoenix police assistant chief and IA investigator.

Louis spent years investigating officers that were accused of violating policies and even breaking the law.

These cases are not always a cut and dry situation.

State law requires that Arizona POST, which certifies police officers, be notified when an officer quits. And that officer can't get a another law enforcement job in-state - until the investigation is over. [Click here to read the Arizona POST report on all misconduct and criminal cases they've handled] 

Criminal cases have more clear-cut rules.

"We have pursued charges against an officer even after they quit," Louis said. "We've had goodness - we've had officers for bank robbery, for theft, for drugs, for stealing property - and they quit. And we still went after them criminally."

In the last decade, more than 1,700 police officers were investigated on criminal charges of: assault, drug use, sexual misconduct and the list goes on and on. Of those 1,700 officers, 617 lost their certification and will never be able to work as cops again in this state.

Even Chief Daniel Garcia said those criminal prosecutions are not good enough.

"We want to be able to hold our officers accountable from an administrative standpoint and criminal," Garcia said.

http://www.kpho.com/story/19193186/hundreds-of-arizona-cops-retire-under-scrutiny

Peoria officer suspended for using slur disciplined 10 years ago

The Peoria police officer who was suspended for two weeks without pay for using a racial slur, had not been seriously disciplined during the past seven years, city records show.

But Sgt. Patrick Kief was disciplined twice a decade ago for verbal abuse.

Kief began his two-week suspension on July 7 after an internal investigation concluded he used a "racially derogatory term" to describe his frustration over the shoddy construction of a podium. The term is considered to be offensive to African-Americans.

Kief, who has been a police officer for 19 years, told a supervisor that he did not mean to harm anyone and had used the racial term growing up, according to the personnel files released Monday.
Kief was demoted from sergeant to officer. He had been promoted to sergeant in 2008.

Peoria City Manager Carl Swenson said in a statement that Kief's actions will not be tolerated.

Police Chief Roy Minter said Kief's conduct was against city policy, which states; "All employees shall conduct themselves in a professional and courteous manner and exhibit only that conduct which would exemplify the Peoria Police Department to both the community and other law enforcement organizations."

In 2002, Kief was suspended for a combined 10 hours for two separate incidents of verbal abuse. Once incident was acting out against fellow employee and the other was disrespecting individuals involved in a sexual assault case, the records show. He was reprimanded in 2001 for running over a stop sign.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/07/23/20120723peoria-police-officer-suspended-demoted-after-using-racial-slur-abrk.html

Peoria police officer suspended, demoted after using racial slur

A Peoria police officer was suspended and demoted on Monday after using a racial slur during a shift briefing in April, officials from the Peoria Police Department said.

A supervisor reported that Sgt. Patrick Kief used a "derogatory racial term" to describe his frustration with a podium he was using during the meeting, Chief Roy Minter said in a statement. Kief had been assigned as a patrol sergeant and remained on restricted duty during the investigation, Minter said.

Minter said the investigation resulted in an 80-hour unpaid suspension and a demotion from sergeant to officer for Kief. Peoria City Manager Carl Swenson agreed with Minter's handling of the situation and condemned Kief's actions.

"The statement of Officer Patrick Kief was reprehensible and is something that will not be tolerated from any one of our city employees," Swenson said.

Minter said he disciplined Kief is in accordance with the department's Code of Conduct which states, "All employees shall conduct themselves in a professional and courteous manner and exhibit only that conduct which would exemplify the Peoria Police Department to both the community and other law enforcement organizations."

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/07/23/20120723peoria-police-officer-suspended-demoted-after-using-racial-slur-abrk.html

Phoenix Police Officer Arrested for Multiple Sex Assaults, Released to Attorney

CHANDLER - A Phoenix Police officer has been accused of sexually assaulting three women in Chandler. He turned himself in and was interviewed on Tuesday.

Wednesday, Chandler police confirm that Ricardo Orosco was arrested. At first Chandler police say they interviewed that officer and let him go. Now they're saying they technically arrested him.

They fingerprinted him, took a mug shot, and released him to his attorney.

Phoenix Police Officer Rick Orosco has been accused of sexually assaulting three different women in Chandler within the last six months.

Chandler police say they arrested him but didn't take him to jail -- instead releasing him to his attorney.

A police spokesperson said: "The public is now aware of who he is and what he has been accused of and he is not a flight risk, there is not a need to book.”

Chandler police saying it's not uncommon for them to refrain from booking someone into jail when they know where to find them and they have been cooperative with investigators.

Phoenix police put Orosco on paid leave last Thursday.

Officials confirm that on Thursday they launched their own criminal and internal investigation into whether Orosco harassed or stalked a female employee working in the South Mountain Precinct – unrelated to the sexual assault allegations.

“Certainly it was serious enough that we put him on leave at his home, assigned to his home so certainly we’re not taking this allegation lightly,” says Phoenix Police Sgt. Trent Crump.

Two years ago, Orosco was arrested after allegedly assaulting a girlfriend while off-duty. She told police he beat her after she refused to have sex with him.

The county attorney's office dropped the case, saying they didn't feel there was enough evidence to prosecute.

“There was a turn down, because of statements made by the victims that involved text messages where she stated she had lied about the allegations,” says County Attorney Bill Montgomery.

Orosco has been a Phoenix police officer for the past five years.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/investigative/police-officer-arrested-released-to-attorney-3-7-2012

Ex-Tempe policeman sentenced in theft case

A former Tempe police officer has been sentenced to probation for stealing items from the department's property and evidence facility.

Authorities say Elliot Campbell was arrested in May and resigned after 11 years on the force.

Maricopa County prosecutors say Campbell was sentenced Friday to two years' probation for theft of a credit card or obtaining a credit card by fraudulent means. He also was sentenced to a concurrent two-year probation term for tampering with physical evidence.

His work vehicle was searched by Tempe investigators and evidence envelopes were located that contained impounded gift cards.

A search warrant was served at Campbell's home. Police found a refrigerator, men's wrist watch and some tools that had been checked out of the property and evidence facility.

http://www.kpho.com/story/15768292/ex-tempe-policeman-sentenced-in-theft-case?utm_source=va&utm_medium=rec&utm_campaign=content

Chandler assistant police chief under fire over outburst

A Chandler assistant police chief's behavior at his daughter's high school volleyball game last week in Tempe has triggered three investigations, angered parents and prompted a call for justice from a longtime activist.
The Tempe Police Department is investigating what witnesses described as Assistant Chief Dave Lind's temper-fueled verbal attack Sept. 29 on a teammate of his daughter's Perry High School volleyball team.

Witnesses said that Lind went into the stands at Tempe's Marcos De Niza High School, where the Perry High School team was competing, pointed a finger at the teammate's face, yelled and used the word "bullshit."

Lind, who supervises at least half of Chandler's police force, including the public information office, was intervening on his daughter's behalf in an argument about a three-way phone conversation in which his daughter was joked about, witnesses said.

"This is a deputy police chief of a city that is growing like Chandler," said longtime community activist The Rev. Oscar Tillman, the local president of the NAACP. He said he became involved because the teammate is an African-American. "He (Lind) goes to the point of verbally attacking a teenager . . . He goes after a kid at school . . .

How much respect can (they) teenagers have for law enforcement?" Tillman asked.

Lind, one of two assistant chiefs who report directly to Police Chief Sherry Kiyler, was reprimanded and suspended without pay for two weeks in 2010 after conducting an affair that included trysts in hotel rooms while on duty.

Parents said the teammate of Lind's daughter and her coach burst into tears at the Tempe game, parents said. The girl's mother has since asked Perry High School to ban Lind from future games, which high school officials will determine after conducting an investigation, Tillman said.

The girl's mother also requested, but did not receive, a court order protecting her daughter from Lind, Tillman said.

The Chandler Police Department has opened an internal affairs investigation into Lind's behavior, said Chandler Police Sgt. Joe Favazzo. Both Perry High School and the Chandler department are awaiting the results of Tempe's report before earnestly investigating, officials said.

Tempe police continue interviewing witnesses to the events of Sept. 29, said spokesman Steve Carbajal.
Meanwhile, the Tempe Police Department is investigating a former Tempe lieutenant. Lind, who among other Tempe jobs was a public information officer, was hired as an assistant Chandler chief in December 2008.
Lind's annual salary is more than $146,000. He is also collecting a public-safety retirement pension.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/2011/10/06/20111006chandler-assistant-police-chief-outburst.html

Phoenix officer held in prostitution case

A Phoenix police officer was arrested in El Paso last week on suspicion of soliciting prostitution, officials said.
Sheldon Czegledi, 47, identified by the Phoenix Police Department as a Central City Precinct patrol officer, was arrested Friday night, El Paso County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Christina Acosta said.

Officials said Czegledi was arrested as part of a sting by sheriff's detectives in which a female deputy was working as "a decoy female prostitute."

In a Sheriff's Office report on the incident, Czegledi was alleged to have driven up to the female deputy standing on the street in front of a hotel parking lot and solicited her for "sexual intercourse for a fee of $45."

The report says Czegledi then gave the decoy officer "$5 for a deposit and stated he would return."
Shortly thereafter, deputies stopped Czegledi's car and he was arrested.

Czegledi was booked into a Sheriff's Office jail.

The report said the conversation between Czegledi and the female deputy was recorded.

Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Steve Martos said that once the Phoenix department receives an official report from El Paso, "We expect to conduct an administrative investigation into the matter."

Martos would not speculate on what sort of professional penalty an officer arrested and convicted of soliciting prostitution might receive but said it was not automatically a firing offense.

Martos said Czegledi was a 14-year veteran of the Phoenix force.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2011/08/30/20110830phoenix-officer-held-prostitution-case.html

Phoenix Cop Jeff Gordon, Son of Mayor Phil Gordon, Faces Discipline for "Inappropriate Contact" While On Duty; Details Pending

The Phoenix Police Department's Professional Standards Bureau has completed an internal investigation into allegations that Phoenix Police Officer Jeff Gordon engaged in "inappropriate contact" while on duty.

But the reports detailing what got Gordon, who is the son of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, in trouble won't be available until early next week, a police spokesman tells New Times.

Police have not released details of who Gordon engaged in inappropriate contact with, or what discipline the cop faces.

The mayor's son, a six-year veteran of the PPD, was placed on paid administrative leave after allegations of "inappropriate contact" (read sexual activity) with someone while he was on duty.

Back in January, Mayor Gordon released this statement:

"As Mayor, I cannot comment on a pending Police Department personnel matter. I can comment as Jeff's father. I love my son very much. I've always been proud of his unblemished record and his 6 years service to our community. I have and will continue to support him through these allegations, as any dad would do for his son."

Phoenix police officials started investigating the junior Gordon in late December or early January. The investigation was delayed after Jeff Gordon -- who was installing hardwood floors at his home while on leave -- accidentally severed some of his fingers.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/07/jeff_gordon_a_phoenix_police_o.php

Phoenix officers on leave after settling Arizona Attorney General suit

Two Phoenix police officers have been put on administrative leave after they agreed to settle a civil lawsuit filed by the Arizona Attorney General's Office that alleged they ran a home foreclosure scam.

Lee Brent Shaw of Gilbert and Mark Tallman of Chandler were accused of running companies that defrauded 148 homeowners between 2003 and 2007.

Recruiters allegedly approached the homeowners and persuaded them to sign up for a foreclosure rescue. Shaw and Tallman then would pay the recruiters, take over the mortgages and toss out the homeowners.

The solicitors who found the homeowners settled a similar lawsuit a year ago.

The two officers agreed to pay $310,000 to victimized homeowners, $148,000 in civil penalties and nearly $28,000 in legal costs. A police statement released Wednesday says an internal investigation is now under way.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/12/08/20101208phoenix-officers-ag-suit.html