SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than seven months after the Sacramento Police Department and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office launched an investigation into the actions of an officer who was caught on video throwing a man suspected of jaywalking to the ground in North Sacramento, the department revealed Monday that the officer will return to patrol operations.
The uniformed Sacramento police officer stopped a pedestrian on April 10 at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Cypress Street.
After the man, identified as Nandi Cain Jr., didn’t follow the officer’s commands and began to take off his jacket to challenge the officer to a fight, the officer is seen in the video forcing Cain to the ground and hitting him in the face with his hand, the police department said.
Following a review of the video, reports and other material from the Sacramento Police Department, the district attorney’s office concluded that it was “not reasonably likely a jury would convict either the officer or the pedestrian of a criminal offense related to this incident,” police officials reported.
Even before the review was completed, all charges were dropped against Cain.
The administrative investigation has been completed by the Sacramento Police Department’s internal affairs division, and the investigation into the officer’s actions related to this incident is considered part of the officer’s personnel file. The law prohibits the department from releasing specific details or results of the administrative investigation, department officials said.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg released a statement following the conclusion of the investigation, saying that he thinks transparency is the key to building trust and that he has a problem with the fact that all information in the case cannot be released.
“While I have a real issue with this limitation, I do trust and respect the process , our police department and Chief Hahn,” Steinberg said. “I applaud (Hahn’s) leadership in putting together a diverse group to evaluate our department’s Use of Force training and look forward to working with him and the community to increase transparency, accountability and improved outcomes for our community.”
“The Sacramento Police Department recognizes the significant impact this incident has had on our community,” department officials said in a statement. “We understand the challenges that we face as we work together to heal our community, build trust and move forward. We are committed to building healthy neighborhoods in our city, where every person has an opportunity to thrive.”
Following the arrest, Cain filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and county of Sacramento alleging that he was abused in jail after his arrest, “forcibly stripped naked and forced to the ground while multiple officers continued to abuse and degrade the defenseless man.”
The officer, named in a lawsuit as Anthony Figueroa, returned to work in a modified duty assignment while he received training that was missed while he was on leave.
Figueroa, who has been with the department for two years and was assigned to patrol in North Sacramento, will return to patrol operations once he is up to date on his training, the police department said.
“Moving forward, Sacramento Police Department will conduct a comprehensive review of our policy and training related to police use of force,” department officials said in a statement. “In addition, we will have our use of force training reviewed by national experts outside of Sacramento Police Department to ensure our training curriculum and methodology is in line with national best practices and standards.”
Source: http://www.kcra.com/article/sacramento-officer-seen-punching-man-will-return-to-patrol/13812904