The Atlanta police officer who was fired one day after shooting a black man has some in Riley County Police Department worried about due process.
Speaking to the Riley County commission, RCPD Director Dennis Butler says he had spoken with an officer who was concerned they would not be given administrative due process in a similar situation.
“I want you to know that not only did I assure them that as long as I’m the director, regardless of what a prosecutor decides, they will be afforded the due process they enjoy,” says Butler.
Butler sent out an email to the entire department to let them know his stance. He added will not give in to political pressure, calls, or community demands when it comes to administrative due process.
“I don’t think I can over emphasize how important it is for officers coming to work during these times, to feel as though that if they do their jobs in the way they were trained to, that they know they will be afforded those same protections that they always have,” says Butler. ” If I can’t provide or guarantee that, then we will start down a road we don’t want to go down.”
Butler says if the department cannot guarantee these rights, then it will be harder to retain and recruit officers.
Both Commissioners Ron Wells and John Ford agreed with Butler and thanked him for his work during this time.
