Rob Roche is the epitome of everything that is wrong with police in America.
Seconds after an Oakland Police Officer shattered Scott Olsen’s skull with a lead-filled munition, Officer Robert Roche threw an explosive teargas grenade at persons who were attempting to come to Olsen’s aid as he lay critically injured on the ground in clear view of the police.
Roche was fired, but on July 30, an arbitrator overturned the termination and reinstated him with full back pay.
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Officer Roche is known as a three time killer who has cost the Oakland taxpayers almost $6 million in civil settlements to date.
Roche’s helmet number is visible in TV news video of this incident, and there is no dispute that he threw the CS Blast that scattered the good samaritans and burned Olsen’s shoulder.
Olsen, unconscious and bleeding from the head, was clearly visible by Roche and numerous other nearby officers before concerned people rushedto his aid and were bombed.
Sadly, the arbitrator’s decision is not unexpected.
In twelve out of the last fifteen personnel arbitrations in which OPD officers challenged their terminations, the officers were successful in getting their jobs back.
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It is meaningless for Oakland officials to profess support for reform of OPD if the City Attorney is unable to make personnel discipline stick – even in an egregious case like this one, where the officer’s wanton act of violence was captured on video and shared around the world.
The problem goes beyond particular rank and file officers.