OWASSO, Okla. -- A wearable videocamera system had been in place only days before it recorded footage that led to a police officer's dismissal, Police Chief Dan Yancey said.
The city has fired Lt. Michael Denton, 46, for using excessive force against a Collinsville man during an arrest last summer, documents released Wednesday show.
The city recommended the dismissal of Denton in a memo dated and signed Friday by City Manager Rodney Ray.
"They did do their job," Yancey said of the pager-size cameras worn on officers' uniforms. "I was hoping that we wouldn't be on the bad end of that.
"But I realized that by putting this system in place, that was a potential. Obviously, this agency wants to know about these issues when they happen."
An internal investigation revealed that "some or all of the force applied" by Denton during the arrest of Bryan Scott Spradlin, 27, on June 30 could be ruled excessive, documents indicate.
The investigation also showed that Denton, a 17-year veteran of the Police Department, failed to record with audio and video the arrest and escort/booking of Spradlin as required by department policy, records claim.
"The termination wasn't warranted," Denton's attorney, Pat Hunt, said. "What he did was within the parameters of his training and applicable law."
Denton has filed a grievance through Owasso FOP Lodge 149, Hunt said.
"We can't operate flawlessly," Yancey said. "We are going to make mistakes, and if we recognize those mistakes, we are going to own up to them. If we recognize that we have an officer that's not acting appropriately, we are going to act on it."
The disciplinary action memo was released by the city Wednesday after the Tulsa World filed an Open Records Act request. The city hasn't complied with an open records request to provide video of the arrest, which was captured by a camera from a Seattle-based company called VIEVU.
A subordinate of Denton's, Officer Jonathan Foyil, lodged the excessive-force complaint, which Yancey became aware of July 29 through an email by Capt. Tracy Townsend, records show.
Foyil's coming forward, Yancey said, "is encouragement to me. I know there are a lot of officers that would do the same thing. For a long time in police agencies, that blue line has existed. I think people realize that that can't exist when you have situations like this."
After officials viewed a recording of the arrest made by the department's personal video system on Aug. 4, Yancey contracted outside investigator Greg Sipes to investigate, documents indicate.
Sipes, a private investigator who also is a captain with the Broken Arrow Police Department, delivered the results of his investigation to the Owasso Police Department on Sept. 15, records show.
In October, Spradlin accepted a $1,500 out-of-court settlement from the city as compensation for "injuries received as the result of my arrest" and in exchange for not pursuing legal action against the city, records show.
Spradlin was offered the settlement while in the Tulsa Jail, Yancey said.
"We believe this was in the best interest of all parties, and Mr. Spradlin appeared happy to get this incident behind him," Assistant City Manager Warren Lehr said in an emailed response to the newspaper.
"Clearly, since we terminated the officer involved, we recognized there was a potential liability, and we acted in the best interest of the city and its taxpayers."
Spradlin couldn't be reached immediately for comment.
At least five Owasso police officers had contact with Spradlin during his June 30 arrest at a residence in the 11610 block of E. 83rd St. North: Foyil, Denton, Ben Wolery, Will Huber and H.D. Pitt, according to police reports. Denton and Pitt had to carry Spradlin into the Police Department because he refused to walk the steps into the building, according to a police report.
The night of the arrest, Spradlin refused to obey the commands of a field sobriety test and resisted officers' attempts to handcuff him, reports indicate. Foyil and Wolery forced Spradlin to the ground, and as Wolery tried to gain control of Spradlin's hands, Spradlin tried to bite Foyil's arm, documents state.
After Foyil delivered a burst of pepper spray to Spradlin's face, Spradlin reportedly was handcuffed.
A straight-blade knife with a taped handle was recovered from Spradlin's shorts pocket, reports indicate.
Spradlin told police that he had consumed four beers and had come to his "ex's house" to talk, records show. He filed for a divorce from Meghan Spradlin in March 2008, but the divorce is pending, court records indicate.
As for Spradlin's settlement, the city's court clerk applied a check for $1,007 to fees associated with his outstanding warrants, documents show. The city initially wrote a check for $1,107 to Spradlin before correcting the mistake. A check for $493 also went to Spradlin, records indicate.
In April 2010, Spradlin pleaded guilty in Tulsa County to driving under the influence of alcohol, records state. About two months later, he pleaded guilty to transporting an open container of alcohol.
Prosecutors filed an application to accelerate deferred sentences for those crimes, and that sentencing is set for Nov. 17.
Copyright 2011 - Tulsa World, Okla.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
