A Rocklin police officer was arrested Tuesday evening on charges that he assaulted a DUI suspect with his baton, causing great bodily injury.
Officer Brad Alford was among the officers involved in a driving-under-the-influence arrest at about 6 a.m. Sunday, the Rocklin Police Department said in a news release.
“During the arrest, one of our officers used a baton in a manner that appeared to be excessive,” it said. “Officers brought their concerns forward regarding the incident.
“After reviewing video footage the Rocklin Police Department immediately reached out and requested that the Placer County District Attorney’s Office conduct an independent review to determine if this level of force rose to a criminal level,” the news release said. After review, the Placer County District Attorney’s office determined they would be filing charges.”
The prosecutor’s office arrested Alford at 6 p.m. Tuesday on charges that included assault with a deadly weapon with an enhancement for causing great bodily injury, assault under the color of authority and filing a false police report, the department said. He was booked into the Placer County Jail.
“At Rocklin Police Chief Chad Butler’s request, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office will continue conducting the criminal investigation into this incident, while the Rocklin Police Department conducts a parallel internal investigation to determine any violations of department policies and procedures,” the department said in its written statement.
“This is a sad and unfortunate incident for all of those involved, including the community and our organization,” it said. “This type of behavior will not be tolerated. As a department, we pride ourselves on working with our community and an incident like this tarnishes the reputation of the hardworking men and women who work here.”
“We will continue working with The District Attorney’s Office to bring a swift conclusion to this case,” it said.
Source: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article175600191.html