VIDEO: State Moves to Deny Rights to Cops Using Force
This viral video showing Lt. Mike Denton of Owasso Police Department in Oklahoma has led to a proposed bill that would force bad cops kicked off the force to stay off.
Oklahoma Senator Brian Crain, (R) District 39, wrote SB 210 and is hoping to push it through Thursday; the last day Senate and House committees hear proposed laws this session.
SB 210 cuts arbitrators out of police firings and puts an appeal in the hands of a district judge. This is only for cases where an Oklahoma officer is accused of excessive force or sexual assault.
In 2011, Lt. Denton was fired for his use of excessive force, which was captured on video by police cameras. But Denton was put back on the force with a letter of reprimand, and the City of Owasso had to pay Denton more than $280,000 in benefits and back pay.
Sen. Crain said Denton’s status and the city’s payout was due to an on an out-of-state arbitrator. Now Sen. Crain said he wants to eliminate the arbitrator.
“The arbitrators that are used most often in Oklahoma are from out of state, primarily from Texas,” Crain said. “They aren’t familiar with expectations of not only the community, but also the state.”
But officials with the Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police have been fighting this bill all three times and stated:
“This bill just adds yet another level of litigation to the process, and it opens municipalities to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in wrongful termination lawsuits. We believe the current process is fair and effective.”
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