Waveland Police Department Supports Officers

Against False Accusations

By Tommy Simpson - Director of Organizational Services, West Region, SSPBA

Waveland Police Department was one of several departments severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005. The department lost their headquarters facilities, virtually all of their vehicles and equipment and their officers nearly lost their lives during the storm surge that occurred there. All but totally destroyed just two years ago this department has bounced back in a big way. This is largely due to the tremendous outpouring of support they have received during this time as well as the professional leadership and dedicated employees within the department. Leadership of the department has established a work environment that leaves many officers in other departments licking their lips. A good example of this occurred not long ago involving an accusation against a Waveland PD officer. A link to the news article appearing in the Sun Coast Echo is provided also with this article.

Click here to read a news story about how Waveland is overcoming more challenges.

Waveland PD now has twelve patrol units. Currently nine of the twelve are equipped with video cameras. Recently an accusation was filed by a woman against an officer who had arrested her. The entire incident was captured on the patrol unit’s recorder. Leadership of the department reviewed the recording and established that the officer had not acted inappropriately in the course of the complainant’s arrest. In fact the recording revealed that the facts of the accusation given by the complainant were false. This investigative action is typical of departments with a good process for handling complaints, BUT WHAT HAPPENED NEXT IS FAR FROM TYPICAL. The leadership of Waveland PD initiated charges against the complainant and had her arrested for making a false report. Waveland PD leadership takes the position that if a complaint is filed, it is their duty to properly investigate it and take the appropriate action. If an officer’s conduct is determined to be improper, they are prepared to appropriately deal with the officer. On the other hand if the investigation proves the complainant has knowingly filed a false complaint they are also prepared to deal with that.

This is what separates Waveland PD from most other departments regarding this issue. In most departments such a complaint and investigative conclusion would result in no action being taken against the accused officer and the complainant simply fading off into the sunset. Handling false complaints in such a manner may be the easiest way but it only invites another false accusation against yet another innocent officer. This approach in dealing with false accusations is not only harmful to the work environment and morale but it cost the departments, in essence the tax payers of the community considerable sums of money. Pursuant to a complaint being filed an officer is usually (and should be) placed on administrative leave with pay until the investigation is completed. During this time the officer is being paid but is not allowed to work. In addition the investigator assigned may expend a couple of days or several weeks investigating the complaint. The resulting cost can quickly amount to thousands of dollars being expended needlessly because of a deliberate false accusation being filed. Persons filing false accusations should be prosecuted and at a minimum if found guilty, be require to make restitution for the overall cost. This would serve the best interest of justice, the officer, the department and the tax payers.

Some will say that such action will only cause valid complaints to go unreported. There is much disagreement with that notion. If people have confidence in their local department and government to do what is right, they will file a VALID complaint with confidence it will be properly handled. If they do not have this confidence, they will not file the complaint regardless of the department’s policy. Officers who do not comply with department policies or our laws should be appropriately disciplined in a fair and consistent manner. On the other hand the leadership of the department and community have a duty to take action to protect innocent officers from being repeatedly subjected to deliberate false accusations for simply doing their jobs.
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