Following up from Office of Police Accountability investigation reports issued last month, today SPD Chief Adrian Diaz fired two officers who were present at the attempted Capitol insurrection on January 6th.
The Disciplinary Action Reports for Officers Alexander and Caitlin Everett (here and here, though both are identical) echo the findings in the OPA reports: that the two officers were standing next to the Capitol building while people were breaching security barriers and scaling the Capitol walls to gain entrance to the building, pushing past and assaulting Capitol Police officers. The SPD officers denied that they were that close to the scene, that they were trespassing, and that they had any notion that crimes were being committed. However, evidence clearly placed them at the scene and within clear view of the insurgence.
After the OPA released its findings, the officers were entitled to a “Loudermill hearing,” which is a legally required opportunity for the them to state their case to the individual making the disciplinary decision (in this case, Diaz himself). According to the Disciplinary Action Reports, both declined to attend their Loudermill hearings with Diaz, but their representative provided a statement on their behalf reiterating their belief that they didn’t know violent acts were being committed and that they left as soon as practical after receiving notification of a curfew being imposed. Diaz, for his part, reiterated the OPA’s finding that those statements are not credible.
Under the terms of the SPOG collective bargaining agreement, the officers may appeal their termination to the Public Safety Civil Service Commission or to an arbitration panel.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21037872-everett-rochelle-21-0013-final-dar
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